Strength In The Numbers Show

How many times in the last few weeks have you met with others in your organisation to learn about their needs or even challenge one of their decisions? Today in finance there are two types of professionals, those sitting behind their desks sending out reports and those you are becoming more influential, getting out from behind their desks, meeting with others in their organisations, understanding their needs and delivering value for them. This distinction is important as our guest mentor Sabine Prenslev Christensen points out that more and more finance professionals are becoming more courageous and they’re the ones becoming more influential and ensuring they will be the ones least likely to be replaced by robots. In this episode some key points we cover are: • The actions that we’re unknowingly taking in finance and accounting that are holding us back from becoming more influential. • Deconstructs some simple actions on leading up and leading down that Sabine did with the Danish Navy that reduced time cost an

Finance teams have been around since the first organisations were established, around 3000 BC in ancient Mesopotamia, because they knew about one big thing that drove and accelerated value better than anything else, which other functions and teams sometimes forget. This is why organisations then and even those today still need a Finance team to help them get this one big thing, so what is it? I share my thoughts on today's bitesized episode on what this is and how you can do this too. If you enjoyed this episode subscribe to our longer guest mentor interviews on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube and Soundcloud.

For finance professionals and accountants to be influential in our organisations we need to be having the right conversations with your stakeholders, but how do we know if we are or not? Answering this question is important and our guest mentor Marco Singh deconstructs for us some of the practical things and golden rules that have worked for him in managing stakeholders and having better conversations with them. Other areas we cover on this episode are: • Why storytelling is important and breaks out his recommendations on how to do it effectively. • One of his top rules on managing stakeholders and line managers. • Improving our Digital IQ. 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/066.

According to joint research by Oxford University and Accenture 55% of Finance jobs will be disrupted and take over by digital robots. So in the last two episodes we’ve addressed why some of the reasons behind why we might be fearful of Digital disruption as well as how we can start charting a course through some of its consequences, disrupt or be disrupted, but how do we really protect ourselves from it? In this episode I share the three steps you can take. If you enjoyed this episode check out our other resources on sitnshow.com.

As a finance professional are you making full sense of the data you have? Or are you simply stuck in the grind of capturing the data and don’t have to the tools or know how to break out? The distinction is important as our guest mentor Rishabh Sawansukha points out that business owners, CEOs, CFOs and other leaders are not interested in how we’re capturing the data and how we’ve connected them, they’re interested in having finance professionals who make them aware of what’s inside the data, what it all means in terms of opportunities and threats, and how to navigate a path around them. Other areas we cover on this episode are: • The discovery Rishabh attributes to turning him from an accountant into an entrepreneur. • Why technology is really helping us do what we should be doing in the first place and why this create loads of opportunities for accountants. • Breaking down making sense of the data into 3 simple steps. • Rishabh’s shared ecosystem concept. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-st

On the last Monday Memo I spoke about fear around Digital Disruption and how we needed to get more useful images to better chart a course through its consequences. And just like any goal or when you chart that course, I share the one thing the most influential finance professionals are doing to cut through the noise of digital disruption to go on to solve meaningful problems for their organisations and have rewarding careers in accounting & finance. If you enjoyed this episode subscribe to our longer guest mentor interviews on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube and Soundcloud.

Are you taking a push or pull approach to the insights you provide your organisations? As accounting & finance professionals the distinction is important, and we uncover why as one of the many topics I discuss with this week’s guest mentor Mike Huthwaite who it a recognised expert and global thought leader on integrative planning. Other areas we cover on this episode are: • Why agile influencing is important and what type of agile approach works best in Finance. • The distinction between push and pull projections in integrative planning and why this is important. • Mike makes the case for a Strategic Finance function and what this involves. 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/062.

Should accountants and finance professionals fear digital disruption in Finance? I mean digital technologies have disrupted many existing business models and value chains, think of the impacts of an Amazon, Airbnb, and Uber. Their businesses largely work off of digital platforms, so what’s to say Finance & Accounting, which has been around for many thousands of years, is somehow immune or should we be concerned that digital may cause us like many other business becoming less relevant. If you enjoyed this episode subscribe to our longer guest mentor interviews on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube and Soundcloud.

Do you understand your organisation's value drivers and how to make use of them? Or with the increasing complexity of business and digital disruption is it harder to see the wood for the trees? Nowadays there are two types of accounting & finance professional, those that are struggling with creating more value for their organisations and those who have not only figured out how to add more value but have become more influential in solving meaningful problems for their organsations. This week's episode is the second part of our conversation with guest mentor Anuj Vij, who not only helps answers these questions but also shares: • The key to how Finance can become more involved where it is not already. • Why the quote “we should be afraid of an accountant who can sell” is important. • An unprecedented opportunity for Finance on how to rethink what we’re doing. 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 sitnsho

Are Accountants & Finance Professionals Simply Good Scouts? Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending an investiture ceremony for some new Scouts and as I watched it I also surprisingly thought that we as accountants and finance professionals, particularly if we wished to become more influential and solve meaningful problems for our organisations and customers, had something to learn from this. If you enjoyed this episode subscribe to our longer guest mentor interviews on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube and Soundcloud.

What do you have to do to have the most fun and rewarding jobs in finance and accounting find you? What types of decisions do you have to make? Well we've dedicated our entire episode this week to the career journey story of our guest mentor Anuj Vij, who shares many of the stories, lessons, and decisions behind how he gained such rich and diverse accounting & finance experiences across 3 continents over nearly 3 decades. In particular Anuj shares: • The thought process for taking on a new challenging assignment despite being very comfortable in his current role and why it was an enriching experience. • The biggest lesson he learned about talent management. • The benefits of working cross-functionally and in unstructured environments. 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/058.

Traditionally accounting & finance professionals have been very much tasked to prepare & report the numbers, and analyse the KPIs, but some of them, the most effective ones, have realised that possessing this key 'human' quality allows them to make an even bigger difference in today’s digital age. What’s this key quality? They are authentic or to put it in terms of what they do, they create authentic connections with others and I share on today's bitesized episode on how you can do this too. If you enjoyed this episode subscribe to our longer guest mentor interviews on iTunes, Stitcher, YouTube and Soundcloud.

Some accountants and finance professionals start their careers in practice, learning their trade in audit, accounts, or tax, however some "Surprise People by Being Exceptional." That is the challenge laid down by Martin Gilchrist, founder and manager of Gilchrist and Co. Chartered Accountants, a 300 client boutique practice. Martin has mentored many businesses and start-ups and has even been described as one of Northern Ireland's best-networked professionals. He has a huge following on social media, 35k followers on Twitter alone, and is known for saying there are so many networking events going on in Belfast that "you could eat breakfast, lunch and dinner for free every working day". It's no surprise then Martin's advice is very practical and valuable for listeners, in this episode he shares: • The importance of resilience in business, the different types and its main benefits. • Shares 5 practical steps for building more resilient networks around us. • Why he is not worried that technology will put him out

What is the first thing you need to do develop trust in business as a finance professional? Accountants and Finance professionals sometimes get a bad rap and are seen as boring because we can occasionally get so caught up in crunching the numbers, getting spreadsheets to work, or stuck in the financials that we end up detaching from the commercial reality that good business is fundamentally about people. More specifically, it’s really much less about the numbers (which some of us finance professionals generally hold as important) and instead much more about developing rapport and trusting relationships with ‘real’ people so that you earn the right to start doing business with each other. In this episode I share one simple step that you can repeatedly use to develop trusting relationships with your customers, clients and other stakeholders in the business. If you enjoyed this episode check out our other resources on sitnshow.com.

Picture the scenario, you're new to a role in an established company, and although you know you're starting with zero credibility with your stakeholders even worse you find out they have an already extremely low regard and distrust for the Finance and Accounting team. What do you do? and, Where do you begin? Well our guest mentor Robin Kiziak has been there and not only successfully answered this question and made a real meaningful impact for this business but he also found himself stepping outside his comfort zone to do so. He shares with us his story, some very practical advice we can all benefit from as well as some key points around: • How to practically develop the confidence to build relationships, particularly where we’ve not been used to doing this before; • How we can do some simple things to scale our impact; and • A story on how to improve the perception other teams might have of Finance. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes, resources and ways to conne

Do introverts or extraverts make the best and most successful finance professionals? There's this stereotypical image of the boring 'Dilbert-like' accountant who sits behind their desk all day crunching the numbers, however the research suggests that extraverted accountants not only liked their jobs more, but they were almost always among the most successful and were most often promoted to supervisor or managerial positions. So which is the best way to be? In this episode I deconstruct some of the research and share what is thought to be the most successful approach that luckily most of us can follow. If you enjoyed this episode check out our other resources on sitnshow.com.

What can finance professionals learn from hairdressers? The actress Andie MacDowell said "talking to your hairdresser is almost like talking to your therapist," which in effect means if we wish to have our customers, clients and business partners share with us their challenges and issues we must similarly be good at our communications as well as building a trusting environment for open conversations. In fact our guest mentor, Michelle Gasson is a former trainee hairdresser come finance leader, and she shares an amazing career story, as well as some great tips on improving our communication skills. Specifically in this episode Michelle shares: • Practical advice on how to prioritise time between building a career, work, studies, kids, partner, and other activities. • How we can improve our communication leveraging her prior experiences with scientists. • With the rise of robots in our profession how we can future-proof ourselves. If you enjoyed this episode, check out our time-stamped show notes, key quotes

Are the insights you share sometimes falling on deaf ears? Generally in Finance & Accounting we want to help our organisations make better, more sustainable decisions. In fact we pride ourselves on presenting our ideas clearly and logically but sometimes our insights and expertise seem fall on deaf ears. Why? So on this bitesized episode I explain why this happens and share a 5 step approach to use this to your advantage. If you enjoyed this episode then check out our interviews with guest mentors who share their stories, hard won lessons and practical advice as well as other useful resources to help you become a more influential accounting & finance professional over on https://sitnshow.com/

What does the future hold for FP&A? With the uncertainty created by all the digital disruption going on in Finance, in particular how fast things are happening and the blurring of traditional business models what does all of this mean for our FP&A teams? Our guest mentor Kenneth Fick, who is an FP&A thought leader and also the founder of fpaexperts.com provides some answers to this question as well as offering further advice on what FP&A professionals can be practically doing today to continue playing an important role into the future. Key Points From the Episode: • The advantage of FP&A nowadays and the role of continuous accounting into the future. • The skills aspiring FP&A professionals should be looking to develop. • Describes the ‘but-for’ test. 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/050.

Generally in Finance & Accounting we want to help our organisations make better, more sustainable decisions. In fact we pride ourselves on presenting our ideas clearly and logically but sometimes our insights and expertise seem fall on deaf ears. Why? So on this episode I explain why and share a 5 step approach to use this to your advantage. If you enjoy this episode check out our interviews with guest mentors who share their stories, hard won lessons and practical advice over on https://sitnshow.com/