What Finance Leadership Looks Like Now
Read this month’s news roundup, with articles on leadership skills, automation, and the art of simplification.
News and insights to keep you up to date and on track: new leadership skills, the robots are coming, and the art of simplification.
CFO to CFO: Finance Leadership in the Pandemic
Daniel Butcher for Strategic Finance | @SFMagazineIMA
A discussion with two CFOs about their approaches to maintaining stability and adaptability in the face of a pandemic-driven evolving work environment.
“We have significantly invested and accelerated the rollout of digital tools that integrate views of how the economy and our customers are performing and the implications of that on our innovation efforts, production plans, and inventory management.”
More on adaptability during a crisis: How Finance Teams Have Reacted—and Adapted—to COVID-19
Leadership Skills for the New Hybrid Workplace
Kamal Dutta for People Matters | @PeopleMatters2
The hybrid workplace requires leaders to develop new skill sets around awareness, agility, authenticity, and accountability.
“To become change agents, leaders need accountability and should demonstrate a healthy sense of ownership to empower others to do the same.”
Another important way to unify and energize your team: Fiscal Culture is Company Culture. What’s Yours?
The Robots Are Coming for Phil in Accounting
Kevin Roose for the New York Times | @nytimes
Companies continue to adopt rapidly advancing forms of A.I. and machine learning, and a new segment of employees finds itself vulnerable to A.I.’s latest technological capabilities.
“As A.I. enters the corporate world, it is forcing workers at all levels to adapt, and focus on developing the kinds of distinctly human skills that machines can’t easily replicate.”
How Center helps finance teams work smarter: What is the Purpose of Expense Management Software?
Executives Split Over Timeline of Return to Normal
Teresa Zuech for Smarter With Gartner | @Gartner_inc
A survey of global execs shows that the fluctuating public-health and economic landscapes are still cause for uncertainty in corporate planning.
“The reality is that many business leaders are still unsure what the future looks like.”
More insights from seasoned leaders, including Center’s co-founder Steve Singh: Advice from CEOs on Navigating an Economic Downturn
Simplifiers Possess These 6 Traits. How Many Do You Have?
Lisa Bodell for Forbes | @Forbes
Developing these six characteristics can help you successfully decrease operational complexity in your organization.
“Wise leaders know that successful simplification isn’t just about making do with less or expecting employees to do more with less. It’s ultimately about enabling teams to work on projects and initiatives that are meaningful to them and valuable to the business.”
More on enabling teams to participate in strategic activities: How Finance Teams Use their Time
Think of Digital Transformation as Modular and Nimble
Kevin Herr for CFO| @cfo
Implementing digital transformation can be an overwhelming effort for finance teams, but reframing the approach is key to a successful result.
“If CFOs think of digital transformation as modular (rather than comprehensive) and nimble (rather than legacy-bound), they can help their organizations achieve a new and much-improved way of working.”
Center is one core digital transformation project you can start and finish in days, not weeks or months: Doing More with Less: Rethinking Expense Management Now
We’re here to help you optimize your spending so you can come out stronger. Stay up to date with the latest insights on business strategy, company culture, and finance.