Strength In The Numbers Show

“It’s not really about what I have to offer to you [but] in your work how far I can take you towards your strategic objectives” Great advice on what right business partnering is about from Carol Hachandi Lupiya, our guest mentor for todays’ episode and where we go on to also deconstruct: Key Points From the Episode: • Why traditional consulting is a bit like forcing olives in someone’s green salad and how to avoid this; • What true business partnering is; • The 3 tips on how make it easy for clients to achieve their objectives; • The best mix of skills for today’s modern finance professional If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/188. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #modernfinance

What Finance Influencer’s Should You be Following? Are they in this 4-Box? In case you’d missed it there’s a lot happening nowadays in Finance & Accounting, whether it be with the digitisation of our profession through the advancement of cognitive computing technologies; working in increasingly competitive & disruptive marketplaces and the gradual emergence of the ‘socially intelligent’ finance professional. At #SITN, since we started 2 years ago and grown to 150 countries we’ve aimed to answer many of the key questions our finance & accounting audience have had about to remain relevant, become more influential, and best solve meaningful problems in their organisations. Thing is we also know we don’t have all the answers but our global reach has enabled us to learn of the relevant influencers out there who are making an impact with their clarity around not only what tomorrow looks like, but more importantly how we can get there successfully. So we’d appreciate you help making this #SITN Finance Influencer

“Be yourself. Don’t pretend to be somebody you are not because if you will, you will get caught later,” one of the many insights on how we as accountants and finance professionals should be successfully dealing with other stakeholders, partners and customers from Wendy Thomson, our guest mentor for todays’ episode where we also deconstruct: • Learning from the failures of other businesses and doing it right for yourself • How to run her own business and the process of making it happen • Challenges that clients are facing as they find it hard difficult dealings with the numbers. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/186. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #modernfinance

How good are your questioning skills? Nowadays, one of the key elements for those finance professionals who wish to get ahead and make a lasting impact is to ask the right questions that get to the heart of the matter and provide the necessary clues about to solve the most meaningful problems for our organisations. In this bite-sized episode I share with you the Columbo Manoeuvre to ask better questions that get to the heart of the matter. #financialmentor #sitn #valuecreation #finance #modernfinance

“There is a value to having values” A key thought of today’s guest mentor, Kate Grangard, Chief Financial & Operating Officer at Gehring Group, of and on today’s episode we also deconstruct together: • Explains why there’s value in having values. • 4 Values that Kate lives by • 3 great bits of advice on how to get over ourselves If you enjoyed the episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/184. #FinancialMentor #SITN #Values #Finance #strategy

Is Finance Business Partnering the same as Management Accounting? On a LinkedIn post earlier in the week a claim was made that Finance Business Partnering is Management Accounting and it drew some criticism, so was this fair or unfair? In this bite-sized episode I share with you some ways to tell the similarities and differences between the two. #financialmentor #sitn #valuecreation #finance #modernfinance

“There is a value to having values” A key thought of today’s guest mentor, Kate Grangard, Chief Financial & Operating Officer at Gehring Group, of and on today’s episode we also deconstruct together: • Explains why there’s value in having values. • 4 Values that Kate lives by • 3 great bits of advice on how to get over ourselves If you enjoyed the episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/184. #FinancialMentor #SITN #Values #Finance #strategy

What’s the most difficult thing you’ve had to measure? With the explosion of data and increasing expectations on #finance from our organisations we’re getting asked to measure less obvious and more intangible things. Earlier this week I asked on LinkedIn what was the most difficult thing you’ve had to measure. In this bite-sized episode I share with you some of the answers and comments back as well as a few questions that will help you measure anything. #financialmentor #sitn #valuecreation #finance #modernfinance

Are finance leaders guilty at the moment of “chasing shiny toys” and not putting enough focus on the people side of the teams? This is just one of the many topics guest mentor and global finance thought leader, Lance Rubin, and I debate today. And on today’s episode we also deconstruct together: • Lance goes through his concept of the “three stack, tech stack” within the finance value chain. • Lance and I debate on who’s doing best around the world when it comes to their improving their finance value chains. • Why we get modelling and analytics muddled up and what is really the difference. • On why we still need finance professionals despite the threat of automation we take about an example from Elon Musk. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/180. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #modernfinance

Are Finance Leaders Forgetting About Their People When It Comes To Automation? Earlier in the week I had to get involved in a conversation in a well known Finance forum where I felt the research being presented was being skewed to present a magic bullet for finance leaders that lack of automation was holding back finance teams from being finance business partners. In this bite-sized episode I describe with you some examples of where automation works and might not work and why we must be careful not to confuse efficiency and effectiveness. #financialmentor #sitn #valuecreation #finance #modernfinance

“In fact when we think we know what the answer already is that limits possibilities, because we see the answer we think we know, but creating new things, new solutions, new ideas, innovating, that happens outside what we think we know.” This is a key message from today’s guest mentor, Sarah Elliott, but this could be a bit of a challenge for accountants and finance professionals who are meant to be experts? right? Well see how Sarah & I reconcile this on today’s episode we also deconstruct together: • How to establish a coaching culture in Finance, • What a mastermind is and how it can help, • How to get out of the habit of telling stakeholders what to do, and • Some baby steps to ask better, more creative questions. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/178. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #modernfinance

What camp are you in? I’d like to say that there are two types of finance and accounting professionals, there are some of us who are proactive getting ahead of business challenges, and then there are those of us who are reactive, where at times it feels that we’re always busy either getting the numbers right, going from one meeting to another or keeping on top of our inboxes that are full of requests with customers and partners wanting something done yesterday. In this bite-sized episode I describe A simple action to build you influence in finance & accounting. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #AccountingAndAccountants

Ever wondered how accountants and finance professionals become better business partners? Finance Business Partnering has been around since Stanley Harding coined the term in 1963, and as much as it’s a bit of a buzzword nowadays there are very few books on the topic compared to the plethora of accounting & finance books so where can we start, or what’s particularly of most interest how can we become better business partners. Well on this special episode we’ve taken the practical advice four of our guest mentors and some of the insights they share are: • How we can practically become that business partner / financial mentor they are looking for. • 5 blockers to business partnering • The two customers of Finance. • 4 components that make up a Strategic Business Partner If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/176. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #BusinessPartnering

Did you ever make a mistake that you can see the funny side of now? Once upon a time I made a huge mistake in my career, it was embarrassing, painful, I still cringe when I think of it but can smile a little now. But ultimately, I could have avoided all of this if only I’d headed Shakespeare’s lesson from Romeo & Juliet. In this bite-sized episode I describe this lesson and how we can apply it in Finance & Accounting. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance

According to a recent Forbes article “The CFO and the Office of Finance are looked to now as the architects of growth.” But how can we get there? An exciting message from today’s guest mentor, Jason Lin, and on today’s episode we also deconstruct together: • Two ways on how we can earn a seat at the decision-making table. • What tennis and basketball can teach us on how to have a successful career in Finance. • What business partners are asking for and the mindset we need to bring in Finance. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/174. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #modernfinance

According to the Harvard Business Review given 70% of digital initiatives failed to deliver their outcomes last year and wasted $900bn where was the finance team to have prevented this? Is there an opportunity for finance professionals to evolve and deploy better digital outcomes for our organisations? What would it take?? In this bite-sized episode I do my best to a number of practical ways finance professionals can help make the most of this opportunity. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #ModernFinance Thanks to Brian Lapidus for sharing the HBR research insight and starting the conversation.

“Try to experiment something and see the results, such a habit is also applicable in our career to see if we enjoy doing it.” A fair challenge from today’s guest mentor, Charly Landy, and on today’s episode we also deconstruct together: • Whether being a specialist or a generalist is the best approach? • How to make our experiences, particularly taking on new roles & responsibilities, less scary and more exciting. • 3 lessons to do to make a more meaningful difference in your career If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/172. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #modernfinance

Have you ever come up with a completely logical and obvious insight, piece of analysis, report, or process and you felt like others didn’t get it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone in this bite-sized episode I share how the inventor of the original shopping cart concept had a similar challenge and what you can learn from this to overcome it. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #ModernFinance

Ultimately at the end of the day it’s just a good conversation unless you’ve got some action out of it because we need to hold people accountable.” This is just one of the many points, Pete Smith, from the award-winning, The Outperformer, & I cover on today’s episode where we also deconstruct: • What’s holding finance professionals back from engaging more with their stakeholders; • A useful framework to break out from our fixed mindsets particularly when we dealing with complexity; • The importance of listening to avoid solutions mode and the lantern versus flashlight; • Insights from other teams outside of Finance and their perceptions of the Finance. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to connect with our guest mentor and more at sitnshow.com/podcast/170. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #modernfinance

Attitude, personal development, hard work, are all important but what is really the defining characteristic of finance professionals who reach and sustain the highest level of performance? In this bite-sized episode I do my best to describe this key factor and two things that the best are doing so that you can also make it work for you. #FinancialMentor #SITN #Finance #ModernFinance