You want full business partner participation in planning, budgeting, and forecasting but you struggle to engage other departments in the process. Does this sound familiar?
We thought so. But don’t fret. Here are five tips to spark cross-functional engagement and build confidence in the financial planning process.
If you want a sense of how crucial automation has become to a modern finance organization, take a look at the shift in what CFOs see as the most important skill for new hires.
Not long ago, 78% said it was proficiency with Excel. Recently, only 7% listed Excel as the top skill.
Enjoy this series of shorts on Strategy from Jim.
Most leaders like planning: it’s mostly under their control, it can be done swiftly, and it offers immediate satisfaction. It’s hard to resist the satisfaction of a good plan, which converts a foggy future to the immediate possibility for success.
Plans are important, whether you work alone or lead thousands. Plans help answer the morning question “what shall I do today?” But there’s a problem here.
In a recent online poll, leaders reported that the number one change they’d like to see in their corporate culture is a stronger commitment to accountability. Accountability takes many different forms across organizations. In many cases, accountability is only referenced in the form of performance failures and mistakes. In this context, accountability is often characterized as being willing to “fall on your sword” and admit your part in where things went wrong. This is a short-sighted and negative interpretation of accountability that is unlikely to create a positive change in an organization’s culture. At its best, accountability is a personal commitment to taking the ownership needed to drive results and achieve goals.
Four-day work weeks and unlimited paid time off sounds like workplace heaven. It also sounds like a recipe for attendance and productivity disasters. When I spoke with Joyce Maroney, the executive director at the Kronos Workforce Institute, I became even more convinced that giving employees flexibility and more time to focus on their personal lives can increase productivity and engagement.
