The Traits of Today's CFO

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STEP 1: IMPROVE YOUR LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS BY LOOKING AHEAD

The pain of change comes from within—your need to face your own ego and self-imposed limitations.

Leaders in management accounting are often so focused on to-do lists, tasks and deadlines that they forget to take time to look at the big picture. This first step is designed to provide a global view of where the role of the CFO and, by extension, the controller is heading. You will quickly discover that the roles they play must change or they will be left behind. In this global economy, speed, flexibility and innovation are paramount.

After reading this chapter you should be able to

• redefine the role we must play to benefit our employers.

• see our evolving profession through recent survey and research results.

• isolate the critical skills that we will need to be effective in the future.

• isolate core attitudes that will benefit us in the future.

• identify the most important changes in management accounting that we address now.

OUR FUTURE—MORE OF THE SAME, AT WARP SPEED

The various components of management accountants’ jobs are changing faster than you might imagine.

CFO and Controller’s Future Roles

Our primary roles in the next few years, and probably beyond, are as follows.

Collaborator

You must be able to collaborate with everyone in the organisation. You will not be invited to the table and trusted unless you know how to collaborate effectively.

Consultant

Operational managers and executives look to you and your team ...