Imagine you’re on an operating table and you’ve the option of choosing between a medical student with the best technical knowledge money can buy from the best schools or an experienced doctor who’s maybe not as knowledgeable but instead has a good track record on this particular procedure, who would you choose? Well hopefully it…
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The role of the accounting & finance team is evolving so that it “ . . . can make an important contribution to improving decision-making and ensuring the sustainable success of the business,” according to the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. And that evolution is a result of a more connected, complex & globally competitive world, one that’s…
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You may have heard of the old story about a traveller who came across two bricklayers who were busy working… He asked the first worker what he was doing and the man replied he was laying bricks. He then asked the next labourer the same question and he said he was building a cathedral. They…
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I had finally had enough. With employers complaining accounting & finance graduates don’t have the right skills, with newly qualifieds frustrated they were not getting meaningful experiences to make an impact and most of the rest of us anxious about what the digital disruption from Industry 4.0 means for the future of the profession a…
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As finance business partners we all tend to be pretty busy and sometimes it can feel that there’s simply not enough hours in the day to get all the work done however some people have found a tool that helps them get more done in their time. It’s called a timebox. I was introduced to…
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Accounting & Finance has been around since the earliest enterprises were established however there are two types of finance teams now emerging, those embracing digital disruption and those who aren’t. This digital disruption I talk about has arrived in the guise of what commentators are calling the fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0, and in…
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I came across a joke today that asked “what’s the definition of an accountant?” Answer: Someone who solves a problem you didn’t know you had in a way you don’t understand. I found myself conflicted, part of me wants to defend the accounting & finance profession and part of me actually wants to agree with…
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There’s been a lot said and written about emotional intelligence, in particular the old saying that before we can walk in another person’s shoes we must first remove our own. However, as finance business partners we also know that whilst it’s important to understand our business partners’ needs, wants and desires we’re also entrusted by…
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The main purpose of any business is to improve it’s outcomes and depending on whether you’re talking to an economist, marketer, engineer, salesperson or customer you might get different answers from maximise profits, create a customer, develop better products, increase revenues to improve customers satisfaction. Ultimately a business is in the business of delivering better…
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I always thought that there were two types of accounting & finance team; those who are continuing with their traditional, functional and transactional ways; whilst others are moving forward, proactively out in their businesses seeking out ways to add more value to them. But I realised there’s also a third type. I used to be…
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