Finance Leadership, Beyond The Numbers

Episode # 150: Leadership in finance isn’t a title—it’s a practice. We dive into what turns any role in accounting, FP&A, or audit into a force for strategic impact, starting with the four pillars that anchor meaningful change: influence, grow your people, deliver results, and see the future. Along the way, we unpack how to turn data into decisions, build trust with senior leaders, and convert operational friction—like a chaotic month end—into a reliable, learning-driven process.

We start by reframing influence as earned alignment. You’ll hear how to show up with validated numbers, a sharp point of view, and a concise ask that respects executive time. Then we get practical about developing talent: mentoring for strategic thinking, cross-training on the business model, and running blameless reviews that raise the team’s ceiling. Execution takes center stage with tactics to speed the close, improve forecast accuracy, and translate variances into action. Finally, we step into forward-looking leadership—tracking external signals that matter, setting crisp scenarios, and aligning decisions to both profitability and purpose.

If you’re ready to elevate your impact, this conversation will help you become the partner your organization needs: people-centered, data-driven, and ethically grounded. 

Please connect with me on:

1. Instagram: stephen.mclain
2. Twitter: smclainiii
3. Facebook: stephenmclainconsultant
4. LinkedIn: stephenjmclainiii

For more resources, please visit Finance Leader Academy:  financeleaderacademy.com.

Chapters

• 0:04 Defining Finance Leadership
• 1:31 Why Everyone Can Lead In Finance
• 2:13 Recap Of AAR And Month End
• 3:02 The Four Core Principles
• 4:44 Partnering With Senior Leaders
• 5:22 Fighting Complacency And Status Quo
• 6:11 What Modern Finance Leadership Requires
• 7:06 Action Steps And Closing

Transcript

Stephen McLain: 0:04

A confident, dedicated and team focused finance leader is a powerful force in the organization. I expect all employees in the accounting fpna and auditing teams to strive to become effective finance leaders. The cornerstone to finance leadership is that it is not role dependent. No matter your role, from individual contributor to Team Manager to CFO, you can become an effective, well respected and highly competent finance leader if you influence a positive decision, if you help another leader make a better decision based on your specific insights, if you bring great ideas, if you overcome the status quo and much more, then you are a finance leader. Leaders make positive things happen. They contribute to the success of the organization, and they ensure they help others to grow their skills. Also, I am talking about finance leadership today. Please enjoy the episode. Welcome to the finance leader podcast where leadership is bigger than the numbers. I am your host. Stephen McLain, this is the podcast for developing leaders in finance and accounting. Please consider following me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. My usernames and the links are in this episode's show notes. You can also follow finance leader Academy on LinkedIn. Thank you. This is episode number 150 and I will be talking about finance leadership principles that I believe in now. Our role in the organization is different, and it doesn't matter if you are in accounting, fpna or auditing, we have a unique viewpoint that others don't see, especially senior leaders. I encourage people at all levels and roles to develop their leadership skills so they can make a positive difference. This means we have to know who to form critical partnerships with, how to communicate clearly, how to think and plan strategically, and how to develop key insights that can help move the organization forward. Now last week, I shared episode number 149, month end closed procedures improvement by using the Army's after action review process now, month end doesn't have to feel like a rolling emergency. We walk through a proven, blame free framework the US Army's after action review to turn your clothes into a reliable, data driven process that gets faster and more accurate every cycle. If your calendar is packed and the bottlenecks keep returning, this is the practical reset your team needs. Please go back and listen to that episode, in case you missed it. Now, I addressed the key finance leader responsibilities early in this podcast history, all the way back in episode two, and it's titled four key finance leader responsibilities. They still stand true today, and the principles are number one influencing this is about achieving buy in, about big ideas you have or creating positive change in your organization. It's when you clearly communicate a unique insight or critical information that senior leaders can use to validate the strategy or review how the company is performing. Now. Number two is grow your people. We must continually mentor our team members to achieve their goals, become better in their jobs and develop potential for greater responsibility. It is our job to develop the leaders who will take over our roles as we move forward with our careers, we must provide opportunities for development regarding their strategic skills, analysis capability and for leading a team number three, achieve results. Your credibility as a leader depends on your performance completing key tasks to a high level and for carrying out the vision of those senior to you, are you and your team completing tasks and requirements on time while exceeding the standard? Also do other leaders trust you to get things done? And finally, number four, seeing the future means we study industry trends, so we can make recommendations to senior leaders on strategy development within the scope of many external factors. These can be political, economic, environmental, General, health and many other factors. Watch for critical external metrics that affect your company's market, particularly on key resources, transportation, storage and public policy, partnering with senior leaders requires us to think differently and to communicate clearly, succinctly and quickly. Senior leaders have limited time to take in something new. We have to be ready and on point, be direct and be. Prepared for tough questions, have your backup data and ensure it was validated. Show your position and supporting data when describing a financial insight that supports what they or their team is working on. Of course, I would run it by another member of their team before so that they can validate your opinion and supporting information finance leadership is people centered and data driven, focused on influencing better strategic decisions using an ethical framework. When we stop being effective finance leaders, our organizations become at risk for stagnation and eventually eliminated from market contention. To be more strategically aligned requires leaders to be open minded and ready to look at new data and new ideas. So we must all be ready fight complacency and the status quo, always looking for new insights that can drive innovation, invention and growth, please subscribe to the podcast on the platform you are currently listening to, and also please subscribe to my weekly email. Thank you. In today's dynamic business environment, the concept of finance leadership extends far beyond traditional accounting or budgeting functions. Modern finance leadership is defined as a strategic capability to guide organizations in making informed, value driven decisions that balance financial performance, risk management and long term sustainability. A finance leader today must integrate financial expertise with business acumen, digital fluency and emotional intelligence to influence organizational direction and drive transformation. The modern finance leader acts as a strategic partner to the CEO, bridging the gap between data analysis and Executive Decision Making while also fostering a culture of accountability, innovation and continuous improvement across all finance functions. Now for action today, what are you doing for yourself and your team in developing your finance leadership skills regarding influencing, growing your people, achieving results and seeing the future? Today, I talked about finance leadership principles that I believe in modern finance leadership is defined by its blend of strategic vision, analytical precision and human centered influence. As the business landscape becomes more volatile and interconnected, finance leaders must continue evolving as catalysts for transformation, balancing profitability with purpose and ensuring that every financial decision advances both the organization's mission and societal good. I hope you enjoyed the finance leader podcast. You can find this episode wherever you listen to podcasts. If this episode helps you today, please share with a colleague. Until next time, you can check out more resources at finance leader Academy, calm and sign up for my weekly updates so you don't miss an episode of the podcast, and now go lead your team and I'll see you next time. Thank you. You.