INTRODUCTION
You are the conscience of your organisation. Unleash your power.
If you want to be secure in your position as the leader who serves as your organisation’s conscience, you must be able to document your worth to your organisation’s leaders. At the same time, you are the head of a customer service team whose purpose is to provide superior service to your customers. This is a difficult and challenging position to be in.
This book explores the 10 critical skills that will help you add value to your organisation and boost your career so you quickly move to the next level of accomplishment.
After reading this book, you should be able to
be the leader that your organisation needs you to be.
use coaching to make your organisation stronger and better.
become an advocate and coach for your team.
develop into a powerful agent for positive change.
take the 6Vi key steps that make you invaluable.
design a tailored action plan for your specific needs.
Exercise: Are You Replacing Yourself?
Instructions
To complete this self-assessment, place a checkmark next to the questions that you answer with a definite “Yes.” Compare the total number of boxes you checked with the answer key at the end.
_________ Are you excited and enthusiastic about going to work each day?
_________ Do you use a wide variety of your skills and talents each day?
_________ Have you made several big mistakes within the last year?
_________ Have you changed what you do as a result of these mistakes?
_________ Are you valued for the interpretation of the information that you provide, in addition to the content of the report itself?
_________ Have you transformed your team from “doing management accounting” to operating a business unit?
_________ Have you created multiple growth opportunities for each of your direct reports within the last year?
Answer Key
7-8 checked—Congratulations!
You are a leading edge and committed leader. Keep working on building a team that supports your efforts so that you can quickly take on more responsibility.
4-6 checked—You are getting there.
You are not replacing yourself, but you do have your team’s priorities in place. Look at the areas where you did not answer “Yes” and get working on these immediately.
0-4 checked—It is not too late.
You must step up to be more of a catalyst for change and manager of people resources. Your insight and talents are needed, but you are not using them. You cannot be timid or complacent because you will soon find yourself overlooked or replaced.
ADVANCED CRITICAL SKILLS
Every CFO and controller needs 10 specific skills to be successful:
Thought articulation
Crystal clear communication
Coaching
Honest self-assessing
Objective thinking
Critical thinking
Synthesising
Team building
Long-term visioning
Stepping beyond your comfort zone
When you are able to apply these 10 skills daily for the organisation that employs you, you will find that you have more power and influence than you ever thought possible. You will quickly become more comfortable in your role as the financial leader. The business world demands that the controller, CFO or director of finance be the ultimate authority on what is ethical and beneficial for all the stakeholders of the company. Without confidence, assertiveness, accountability and, most important, commitment, you will be unable to fulfil this role. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to move you beyond your comfort zone and into the role of your organisation’s conscience.
This book covers the 18 best practices provided in the following checklist. Check off those that could benefit you or your organisation. Note them on this page as a reminder to go back and explore the practice.
SPECIFIC BEST PRACTICES
□ The Position Description
□ Shape the Culture by Defining It
□ Create Balanced Risk-Taking With a Risk Programme
□ Foster Accountability by Defining It
□ Establish a Governance Programme That Weeds Out Questionable Practices
□ Shape Your Employees’ Teaming Behaviours With a Solid Structure
□ Shape Your Employees’ Accountability by Establishing Behaviour Expectations
□ Shape Your Employees’ Behaviour by Using Honest Feedback
□ Shape Your Employees’ Behaviour With Recognition and Rewards
□ Skills Gap Assessment
□ Using a Gap Analysis
□ Formalised Action Plans
□ Action Plan Reporting and Accountability
□ Solution Creator
□ Probing Questions
□ Problem Restatement
□ Instilling a Personal Commitment
□ Instilling Continuous Improvement With Plus-Delta
Exercise: Apply Your Learning
Write out one key lesson that you have acquired during your years of experience as a leader in management accounting.
____________________________________________________________
Explain why this lesson has stayed with you.
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Explain how this lesson relates to your view of the role that the controller or CFO plays or should play in an organisation that values integrity and ethical behaviours.
____________________________________________________________