#101 How to Become a Great Finance Business Partner with Oliver Deacon, Former FD at Microsoft
One of the most important things to remember when trying to become a great finance business partner is that communication is key. You need to be able to effectively communicate with your colleagues in order to build strong relationships. Make sure you are always clear and concise when conveying information, and take the time to listen to what others have to say. It is also important to be responsive to questions and concerns that your colleagues may have.
It is also essential that you are able to build trust with your colleagues. This can be done by being honest and transparent in your dealings with them. Make sure you keep your promises and always follow through on what you say you will do. If there are ever any issues, make sure you deal with them in a timely and professional manner.
Remember that it is important to show your colleagues that you are invested in the success of the organisation. This can be done by offering help and support when needed and being proactive in finding solutions to problems. Your job is to sell ideas and provide options. If you can do these things, you will be well on your way to becoming a great finance business partner.
Building a strong relationship between finance and the rest of the business is essential for the success of your organisation. Listen in for some great information on how to make things work well between you and your fellow business managers!
Links
- Oliver Deacon on LinkedIn
- Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn
- GrowCFO Business Partnering for Finance Teams Boot Camps
Timestamps
00:43 What is a finance business partner?
02:11 About Oliver Deacon
03:26 How to become a great business partner? Where do you start?
03:59 Relationships and selling ideas
05:38 How do you start forming great relationships?
06:15 Asking questions, showing people you are interested in them
09:43 Can you figure out what your business partners’ biggest problems are?
10:39 Stop; Start; Continue
12:16 Turning data into insights
15:40 What are we going to do differently as a business?
16:38 Finance business partnering boot camp
18:48 How is the boot camp structured?
21:17 What’s covered in each workshop?
23:32 How do you attend a bootcamp?
24:41 What surprises people most on the boot camp?
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