Positioning In The Transformation Of Finance Role

In a meeting or workshop amongst your fellow operating managers where you are presenting certain salient points you might hear your top or senior management addressing you or your staff as from “Accounts” teams.

How do you feel about this?

Well by asking such a question you might think that I am trying to be sensitive about this addressing/wording but rather that in my previous articles pertaining to the transformation of finance role and traits of a first class finance team,it is in fact important that we should attempt to “position” the finance image in a more aggressive manner. 

Let’s go back to simple basics:

Accounts to most layman or management would means the keeping of books ( in reality this is book-keeping)  or the best preparation of the financial statements for the various stakeholders.

What about finance? –  finance management is the managing of the company’s liquidity and profitability and finance which also encompass budgeting,other management accounting role,financing like the sourcing of the much need funding in a timely and correct quantum.

My two cent’s worth is that we should start positioning/ “publishing” ourselves as:

•  The “Finance” team;

• Built up a finance directory where all other internal operating managers are aware of our presence as financial advisors/business partners and to facilitate work flow and
• Changing such mundane name of assistant xxxxx to more meaningful name like financial analysts.

Well you might wonder whether I am trying to encourage you to put up cosmetic to your finance team but I assure you that this should be part of the integral step to improve the finance image in your organization. Of course,I am also assuming that you and your team are working very hard to move forward toward the transformation role as mentioned in my earlier articles.   

Also,don’t forget branding is indeed a very important tool and why shouldn’t it applies to our finance role?

• The Changing Role Of Finance Function:Creating A Vision Statement ( Part 4)
• The Changing Role of Finance:Business Partnering- A Small Example ( Part 5)
• Role Of Finance – Skillsets for Business Partnering
• Financial Planning as One of The Key Finance Roles (Part 1)
• The Changing Role Of Finance Function:Training Requirements ( Part 2)
• Role Of A “Business/Financial Controller”
• Finance Role – Business Partnering – Illustration