THE ONE Most Important Thing For Your CFO Readiness

As I’ve put together the material for my signature development program, CFO Readiness Builder, as I’ve delivered it to my students over the past two years, and as I’ve spoken to them in coaching calls, the more I’ve realised that there is ONE thing that I keep coming back to.

It crops up in several different contexts.

I talk about it when I teach the habits you need for improving your personal performance.

I talk about it when I talk about leadership skills.

When I do coaching, it’s what I start with.

And I talk about it when I’m teaching about business strategy.

That led me to the realisation that if this theme came through in several important contexts, it must be a habit that is really important to learn.

And in fact, it’s something I already knew.

It’s all about being purpose-driven.

If you can develop that habit of being purpose-driven, then ...

... you have a headstart in being more effective in your personal performance,

... a headstart in developing as a leader, and

... a headstart when it comes to thinking strategically about the business.

You’ve also got a headstart when it comes to fixing just about any problem!

And that contributes to your successful development in at least three out of the five “promotion triggers” I often talk about in the context of CFO readiness. So, it’s fundamental and powerful.

For Stephen R Covey, in his classic book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this was Habit 2: Start With The End in Mind.

It’s not just appreciating what you’re trying to achieve, but more importantly why. That’s why having a personal mission statement is so helpful.

So, it starts with personal effectiveness.

But Covey elsewhere talks about “the Four Roles of Leadership”. One of those roles is what he calls Pathfinding. It’s ensuring that the team/organisation has a clear appreciation of its vision and purpose.

And then when we think of business strategy, the fundamental starting point should always be the vision and mission of the business – what we want to achieve and why.

Conclusion

If you want to make a bigger impact in your business, get CFO ready, become a leader (even without a team), and impress as a high performer, always, in everything, start with the end in mind.

Be purpose-driven!

Finance Pro to CFO Video Series

And if you want to explore further the qualities that make the difference in Finance career advancement and CFO readiness...

Join me in Finance Pro to CFO

Finance Pro to CFO is my new video series. It’s FREE to watch and now open for registration.

Sign up now, and the videos will be available from 14 to 29 March 2024.

In the series of short videos (mostly 10-20 minutes), I take you through:

1.???? What is CFO readiness? And why is it relevant for everyone who wants to progress in Finance?

2.???? Three First CFO Role Stories and what we can learn from them

3.???? How to get from Finance Pro to CFO

4.???? A deeper look at the things that make the difference in Finance professional development

5.???? How to execute effectively on your personal transformation

6.???? How I can help you further

CLICK THIS LINK to register today!

The Purpose-Driven CFO Newsletter

You can subscribe to The Purpose-Driven CFO Newsletter by clicking the ‘+ Subscribe’ button at the top of this page. If you want to hear my thoughts each week, exploring how we can raise our game in the Finance function by starting with the end in mind, consider subscribing. All it means is that LinkedIn will notify you when I publish a new edition.

About the Author – Andy Burrows

I’m Andy Burrows , and I’m Founder and CEO of Supercharged Finance , a provider of online learning and coaching, aimed at helping Finance professionals get better at helping the businesses they work for.

I qualified as a chartered accountant in the UK, and have worked for more than 25 years as a senior Finance professional in a variety of businesses of different sizes and sectors.

I’m now a popular writer in Finance and Accounting. In 2019 Anders Liu-Lindberg described me as one of the "Top voices on LinkedIn for Finance, accounting and FP&A". And in 2024 I was given official LinkedIn Top Voice status (see the little blue badge on my profile !)

If you’d like to hear even more from me, go to my profile and click the follow button!

CFO Readiness Builder

If you are keen to progress quickly in your Finance career, you need to focus on the skills and capabilities that make the difference.

Our CFO Readiness Builder program is designed to help you to do that. CLICK HERE to find out more and register your interest, either for you or for your team.