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What is it that finance professionals can do to become remarkable? When you’ve a product achieving at a remarkable level like the iPhone has, people tell their friends and colleagues about it, and those friends and colleagues tell their friends and colleagues and so on. You might also challenge that despite the everyday technological advances the newer iPhones aren’t radical evolutions of the last one, but they are generally still highly successful products, you could say remarkable. In fact, a lot of the successful things that have gone into the iPhone remarkable are also being done remarkable finance professionals. In this bite-sized episode I do my best to describe a number of things finance professionals can do to become remarkable. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ValueCreation #Finance #AccountingAndAccountants

“Saying hello doesn't have an ROI. It's about building relationships.” Gary Vaynerchuk I was reviewing the Finance Mentors’ Handbook this week and whilst going through the index I discovered one of the most frequently used words was relationships so I guess this must be quite important to be a successful modern finance professional. So we’ve pulled together a special on how to practically build relationships within modern finance today from all parts of our worlds, even virtual. We’ve included six short segments from guest mentors on #sitn to share with you on how they’ve developed relationships across all parts of the globe and various business functions. Enjoy! - The art of finance professionals building relationships. - Moving from the backseat to the front row - Finding the commonalities such as food to build connections across continents - How to engage with other departments. - Why LinkedIn is a great place to build relationships. - The value of being the gofer

How do we decide which opportunity or initiative is the right one to take? How do we do this at work? Or outside of work? Given the Gallup organisation estimate 69% of employees are not engaged in their work, is that because we are picking the wrong opportunities? Surely our work should excite us? In this Monday memo I share threes steps to focus on how to pick the right opportunity. #FinanceMentor #SITN #Opportunity

“We need to bring input and value to the business.” according to our guest mentor Stéphanie Didier who helps us deconstruct on todays’ episode: - Gaining experience of international roles whilst having a family and approaching her career progression. - Why technology helping finance transformation will help finance become more critical to the business. - 4 key components of how to practically become a better finance 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/314. #FinancialMentor #SITN #Value

How can finance professionals help innovators? Innovation is vital in business and in our workplaces because it gives us an edge in penetrating markets faster and provides us faster feedback into what best adds value to our customer and stakeholders enabling a potential path forward as a going concern and towards sustained profitable growth. I came across an old story from the book, the Innovator’s Dilemma, and in this bite-sized episode I share this one big way that Finance can help Innovators make better decisions. #FinanceMentor #SITN #Innovation

"We shouldn't forget that the information is always there to persuade everything in life, including everything at work is to persuade someone.” according to our guest mentor Amrish Shah who helps us deconstruct on todays’ episode: - Three ways people can build up experience of better decision making. - The steps we can take as finance professionals and leaders of teams so we can all become more visible. - Establishing Credibility & having a continuous improvement mindset to create value in other functional processes. - The characteristics, or 8Cs, a modern finance professional (but especially for business finance roles) we should be aspiring to 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/312. #FinancialMentor #SITN #modernfinance

Is there a need for more speed in Finance? I was recently sent an infographic that suggested 73% of Finance professionals faced pressure to speed up. On the one hand this is no surprise and on the other is speed really the most important thing to our stakeholders? In this bite-sized episode I share some thoughts on how we handle this question. #FinanceMentor #SITN #Speed

"The more informed I am the more business insights I have.” according to our guest mentor Ronald Huamán Hilario who helps us deconstruct on todays’ episode: - Why it’s important to eat frogs and focus on the critical matters. - Why improving soft skills is a bit like learning new music and why it’s important to blend hard and soft skills to be a keynote professional. - The importance of a growth mindset to remain relevant and ahead of technology. - Why we should be collaborating more and building connections with empathy even virtually 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/310. #FinancialMentor #SITN #Softskills

Is stress at work a good thing? Successful Finance professionals have to be able to support effective decision making in stressful scenarios however when there are conditions of stress work most people do counterproductive things and are not at their best selves. In this bite-sized episode I share some findings from an expert on dealing with stress as well as three actions you can take to effectively dealing with stress at work. #FinanceMentor #SITN #Stress

"When you think about it, who's the most trusted executive in a given company, and it's almost always the CFO,” according to our guest mentor Jack McCullough who helps us deconstruct on todays’ episode: - His thoughts on how he thinks CFOs are doing today with the current challenges of a pandemic, climate change, economic turmoil, etc… and how this current crop are different to conventional CFOs. - What are the right steps for a controller to become a CFO. - What Jack meant by his Forbes article when he described the agile CFO, as innovative, collaborative, and visionary. - What most Rockstar CFOs are doing and the importance of ethical leadership 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/308. #FinancialMentor #SITN #CFO

Would a 4-Day Work Week Work In Finance? This question piqued my interest after it appeared in the local news and also following a poll from a well-known accounting body. In this bite-sized episode I share some of my research findings as well as thoughts on the pros and cons about going down this route. #FinanceMentor #SITN #WorkingSmarter

" Being sustainable is really nice, but it's too expensive” which is what one business owner said to our guest mentor Colin Banning who helps us deconstruct on todays’ episode: - What going “Beyond the spreadsheet” means for the triple bottom line - Based on his work with the UN, where we can start facilitating better adoption of corporate reporting and culture around ESG objectives and SDGs - How to get SMEs involved in the process of what is seen as “expensive” sustainable reporting - The importance of cross-functional collaboration and perspectives to improving reporting capabilities and cultures and gaining “exposure opportunities.” 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/306. #FinancialMentor #SITN #Sustainability

“One of the key assets of a great business partner is to provide insights to their stakeholders.” Simone Collins And to arrive at these insights, we must connect these dots. On today’s Monday Memo I share 3 tips from a blog written by Simone on how we can hone our connecting the dot skills. #FinanceMentor #SITN #connectingthedots

"If you stay in your comfort zone you will probably achieve a little more with what you already have … but if you ever want to go further than where you are today it’s probably going to be you doing something that’s outside of what you’re comfortable with today” as our guest mentor Terrell A. Turner will help us deconstruct for todays’ episode where we also examine: - The 3 key building blocks to Terrell’s career progression: - Great advice & examples on how to safely push yourself out of your comfort zone - The story behind how Business Talk Library came to being 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/304. #FinancialMentor #SITN #ComfortZone

Is a hard benefit more important than a soft one? I had this question put to me recently and it got me thinking, is one more important than the other. Do business cases with hard benefits always get approved or are the softer ones more important but difficult to get a CFO to buy-into them? I share some thoughts about the hard/soft benefit spectrum on today’s Monday Memo. #FinanceMentor #SITN #benefits

"Financial considerations impact virtually every significant management decision we make in businesses & society.” A rather special episode today where Andrew has the tables turned on him as he is interviewed by Talita Ferreira as part of the Global Leadership Hypothesis series. Together they deconstruct: • The definition of a great leader • How to start unlocking your potential in accounting & finance and what is holding some back • A common misconception people have about him 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/302. #FinancialMentor #SITN #Leadership

Being seen as defensive in accounting & finance has historically been seen as a good thing, however is it always the case? In this bite-sized episode I share some thoughts on where defensiveness is positive, it’s challenges if we’re looking to build influence, impact and meaningful carrers and also four steps on how to deal with it better. #FinanceMentor #SITN #defensiveness

"It’s all about speed to insight at the speed of thought,” as our guest mentor Brian Kalish will help us deconstruct for todays’ episode as well as: - How to push forward the evolution of the FP&A profession - The holistic role of FP&A and its reporting structure in the business - Building your support structure as we progress into the new normal that nobody knows what it looks like - How we can leverage the right technology over time to reach out to others in the profession 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/300. #FinancialMentor #SITN #FP&A

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” Oprah Winfrey. There’s no doubt about it, we’re leaving in very strange and uncertain times which has adversely impacted a number of those in our finance community. So In this bite-sized episode I share how some fellow finance professionals are managing through this adversity and ideas on how we can help each other. #FinanceMentor #SITN #community

" I would say the accounting gives you that good foundation being able to transition or pivot into other areas” According to today’s guest mentor Taiwo Okwor who also deconstructs with us: - The strong foundations of accounting & finance enabling it easier to transition into investment & Development Finance - Her work with Femme-Minty helping women to become money confident and equipping them to make the best financial decisions for themselves, their community and society at large - On the main blockers to people becoming a bit more financially savvy and making more confident financial decisions 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/298. #FinancialMentor #SITN #Development