Why you need to be a 'messy leader'

How many of you have seen 'Inside out' or 'Frozen' or 'Toy Story'?

These blockbusters are the result of the creativity of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios under the leadership of Ed Catmull. Ed also wrote the bestseller book, Creativity, Inc. in 2015 that chronicled the story of Pixar from the Steve Jobs days through the disruptive pace of today's digital age.

McKinsey Quarterly just published their interview with Ed Catmull and I think they captured the essence of leadership in times of transformation with this one quote from Ed,

The fundamental tension is that people want clear leadership, but what we’re doing is inherently messy. We know, intellectually, that if we want to do something new, there will be some unpredictable problems. But if it gets too messy, it actually does fall apart. And adhering to the pure, original plan falls apart, too, because it doesn’t represent reality. So you are always in this balance between clear leadership and chaos; in fact that’s where you’re supposed to be. Rather than thinking, “OK, my job is to prevent or avoid all the messes,” I just try to say, “well, let’s make sure it doesn’t get too messy.”

Leading in a VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) will not get any easier. In fact, the waves of change and disruption are getting bigger and coming faster, so we need new skills, even as leaders.

As I reflected on this I was reminded of my watchwords from 2011 (Messy, Integrated, There is No Manual) as we began our own transformation. Ever since then I have worked to provide clarity and yet feel that I have not made much progress. Instead I now realize that we must navigate between the chaos and uncertainty and the clarity of our purpose and values with the discipline of execution, evaluation and constant learning. This is how we can embrace the disruption and uncertainty and provide clarity, direction and a sense of progress.

These same leadership principles apply to CFOs, controllers, CPAs and accounting and finance professionals. The transformation of almost every business today requires the leadership of the accounting and finance teams (whether internal or external from their CPA firms). We have to move from being CF-No to CFO as in Chief Future Officer, applying the discipline of accounting and finance to evaluating new business models and the inevitable risks and uncertainties. The acceptance of both clarity and chaos, as we merge old business models with new digital business models. In other words even CPAs and accountants need to be willing to be 'messy leaders'.

This is why we are excited to have Marc Greenberg, VP of Finance & Strategy at Pixar Animation Studios teach the "Business of Creative" to accounting and finance professionals on May 13th live and via webcast (registration information here) at the BWI Hilton Hotel. We want to help CPAs, accounting and finance professionals be even more 'future ready' and able to thrive in these disruptive times.

So let's ride these waves of change, accept some chaos and follow Ed's advice, "well, let’s make sure it doesn’t get too messy."

Join me at these upcoming events on Leading the Transformation of Finance and Accounting:

• Oracle’s Modern Finance Experience takes place April 6-7, 2016 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Chicago, covering the new rules for 21st Century Finance. Oracle CEO Safra Catz will be on-hand with AICPA Chair-elect and MACPA Past-Chair, Kimberly Ellison-Taylor at a special Women in Finance luncheon. This special event is filled with interactive workshops and customer-led sessions on finance and technology strategies that AICPA and MACPA members can take advantage of $100 discount using code AICPMF16 on registration.
• MACPA's Business & Industry Conference on May 13, 2016 at the Hilton Baltimore BWI Airport (and via webcast) featuring "The Business of Creative" keynote by Marc Greenberg, Pixar's VP of Finance & Strategy - registration information is here.
• MACPA's Financial Leader's Series kick off with Enterprise Risk management and Forecasting on May 19th at the Loyola Graduate Center, Timonium, Maryland featuring Frank Ryan, CPA, CGMA, MBA. 
• Learn the critical skill of anticpation and how to flip disruption and change into opportunities for a competitive advantage with the Anticipatory Organization: Accounting and Finance Edition.

Related articles:

• The Top Challenges Facing CFOs, Controllers and CPAs in Business and Industry
• Are You Leading the Transformation of Finance and Accounting?
• State of Accounting: How Business Would Improve If More Accountants Were Proactive, Not Reactive
• Corporate Learning IS going through a revolution...

TOM HOOD, CPA.CITP.CGMA is considered one of the most influential thinkers in the CPA Profession and the CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs (MACPA). Tom is also the founder and CEO of the Business Learning Institute, the innovation and learning affiliate of the MACPA, a leading talent development, training and strategy organization for CPAs, finance and accounting professionals in the US. They provide customized, competency-based curriculums and a portfolio of “success skills” and technical programs designed for the Finance and Accounting Profession.