Category Archives for Business Partnering
5 Simple Changes To Make You A Better Business Partner
The role of the functional professional is changing. These days more are more of them are taking on the role of business partner. What’s clear is that different organisations are at different stages in implementing the business partnering approach, especially in finance. As a business partner you will no doubt aspire to do the best job you can […]
Continue reading3 Things That Will Help You To Be Better At Presenting As A Finance Professional
If you work in Finance, you will have to make presentations to those in the wider business. Sometimes these will be in small group meetings where they are slightly less formal. Other times it might be to a much larger audience. These days with more and more hybrid working, it’s likely that you will have to present online […]
Continue readingHow To Maximise The Value of What You Communicate As A Finance Business Partner
If you’re a finance business partner or even a management accountant, communication of financial information is vitally important. Chances are you produce lots of reports. You may have been providing these reports for a long time. So they must be of value then, right? Not necessarily. I was watching a YouTube video from Andi Lonnen on what to communicate. The big […]
Continue readingWhat Helps and What Hinders Your Ability To Influence As A Finance Business Partner
The role of the Finance Business Partner is sometimes misunderstood. I’ve seen job descriptions where finance business partnering is spoken about a lot. But in reality the role is nowhere close to being that of a Finance Business Partner. For me a true Finance Business Partner is someone who is in many respects like the Finance Director for […]
Continue readingThe Most Important Thing You Can Do To Be A Better Business Partner
What’s the number one thing you can do to be a better finance business partner? From my perspective and from talking to literally hundreds of people in workshops, the one thing that’s going to make the biggest difference to you being a more effective business partner is to spend more time out in the business. Understanding the […]
Continue readingBeing A Better Business Partner
Business partnering in finance and other functional areas like IT, procurement and HR is becoming more and more common. This is in part being driven by advances in technology. But also by functional professionals themselves wanting more rewarding work. And let’s not forget the changing demands of business itself. Of course being a business partner is a whole lot […]
Continue readingFocus On Your Role As A Finance Business Partner
The Finance Business Partner model is being implemented by many organisations. The aim is to create a role where the focus is more on working with the business to support the delivery of business results. In reality the Finance Business Partner is pretty broad and includes:Providing the expert advice.Facilitating discussions, decisions and actions.Influencing strategy.Bringing insight.Contributing way beyond […]
Continue readingMaking The Right Interventions As A Finance Business Partner
As a finance business partner you wear many hats and play many roles. A lot of your time the focus is on adding more value. Whether that’s through insight, advice or influence. From time to time you have to switch to the stewardship role. Thinking not just about the areas that you support but the wider organisational interests. Considering the […]
Continue readingWhat Does It Mean To Constructively Challenge As A Finance Business Partner
Finance business partnering roles are becoming more and more common. If you are a finance business partner you have the opportunity to do a much broader role. To influence and shape strategy. To bring insights that help with decision making. To contribute more to business success. Then there is the other side of the role. The critical friend. […]
Continue readingHow Effective Are You As Finance Business Partner?
Finance has evolved a lot in the 40 years since I started out in accounting. Back then engagement between Finance and the rest of the organisation was minimal. Now Finance Business Partnering is becoming more and more common. Not just in big organisations but in smaller growing organisations. Indeed some might say that those working in smaller organisations […]
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