Business Partner, Have You Heard Your Calling?

Last week we called “bullshit” on the Finance Business Partner role. This week we flip things around to discuss why the business partner role is really a special job that requires something extra and can be compared with jobs you wouldn’t normally think of comparing to.

What I’m saying is that the business partner role is a job you’re called to. What does that mean? It means you’re drawn to this role because you want to make a difference in the company and do so through others rather than being the difference-maker yourself. If all you care about is a paycheck then business partnering is not for you! 

What firemen and doctors have in common with a business partner 

You’ve probably heard the phrase “it was my calling to do this” so something you feel almost destined to do. Typically, this is associated with jobs where your sole purpose is helping others in sometimes dangerous situations like a fire or when a life is on the line on the operating table.

That’s the reality that let’s say firemen and doctors face daily and you can argue that it’s a tough sell to compare the business partner role to these jobs. Let me make the case for it anyway. Why would business partnering be your calling? 

• Firstly, it’s the job of a business partner to help others succeed – if the business stakeholders that the business partner support are not successful then the business partner is not successful either.
• Second, a business partner’s sole purpose is value creation – it’s the higher-level purpose that companies exist for. Here we’re talking value created for customers, problems solved, and, of course, the bottom-line impact.
• Lastly, business partners must be purpose-driven and passionate about the work itself. If a business partner is not passionate about let’s say Finance, HR, IT, etc. then the stakeholders will see it immediately and start doubting if the business partner brings real value to the table. 

What does this mean for you? It means that you should always think twice before accepting a business partner role. Question yourself; why would you take the role? Is it aligned with your purpose? Do you fully buy into what the companies’ purpose is? Are you passionate about helping others? In short, do you feel called to take a business partner role? If you cannot answer these questions well then don’t take the role because I promise you that you will fail. 

Is the business partner role really all that special? 

Okay, I’ll grant you this. Being a business partner is not a “save the world” kind of job and there are many roles in a company that are arguably more impactful than a business partner. Still, there’s a reason why we haven’t been successful with business partnering for more than two decades. We simply haven’t taken the role seriously!

People have said “Yes” to a business partner role without knowing what the role was about and what it would take to be successful. Many were simply just given a new business card in hand and told they were now a business partner. That doesn’t really give you that special feeling that you need to succeed in the role.

Moreover, in many instances, business partnering is more of a mindset than an actual role. Hence, it becomes even more important that we can put words to what mindset change needs to happen for everyone in support functions – not just Finance – to start acting like a business partner.

Now tell me. Is business partnering your calling? Do you think you have what it takes to succeed? Or perhaps you’re ready to finally say business partnering is for not you? Whichever is the case I would love to tell your story so don’t hesitate to reach out and let’s tell the world what it takes to succeed with business partnering!

You can read a lot more articles about FP&A, Business Partnering, and Finance Transformation below. It all start's with “Introducing The Finance Transformation Nine Box” where you set the ambition for your transformation. You should join the Finance Business Partner Forum which is part of the Business Partnering Institute's online community where we will continue to discuss this topic and you can click here to follow me on Twitter.

Your Journey To Successful Business Partnering Explained

How To Create Value Through Business Partnering

Everyone Can Adopt A Business Partnering Mindset (part of a six-article series about FP&A Business Partnering)

From Business Partner To Working Within The Business (part of an article series where I interview finance professionals about their careers in FP&A and Business Partnering)

Is Your Product Optimized For Value Creation? (part of a toolbox series where we look at what tools FP&A professionals should leverage to drive value creation)

How Business Partners Turn Analysis To Insight (part of case study series where I interview business partners about how they drive value creation using real cases)

The Future Of FP&A: Two Ways To Take The Reins

What Is The Accounting Profession Paradox?

What Defines A Finance Master?

The New Career Path For Finance Professionals

How Finance People Can Be More Successful

The CFOs Roadmap To Transforming Finance

How To Become A Finance Business Partner

Financial Analyst vs. Finance Business Partner

You’re A Finance Business Partner, Now What?

Building A Team Of Finance Business Partners

Anders Liu-Lindberg is a Senior Finance Business Partner at Maersk supporting our largest product and I have more than 10 years of experience working with Finance at Maersk both in Denmark and abroad. I am also the co-founder of the Business Partnering Institute and owner of the largest group dedicated to Finance Business Partnering on LinkedIn with more than 7,000 members. My main goal at Maersk is to show how to be successful with business partnering and drive value creation as a trusted partner. I am the co-author of the book “Create Value as a Finance Business Partner” and a long-time Finance Blogger with 33.000+ followers.