This blog is by Leila Singh, Leadership & Career Development Consultant at Success Redefined Limited and you can find out more about Leila and her work here
When you review leadership development across your organisation, where does Finance sit?
Your finance professionals are likely to have access to technical updates, CPD and systems training. All of those matters. But if the business now expects them to challenge thinking, influence decisions and work as strategic partners, are they getting development for that part of the role too?
It is a question worth asking at your next talent review, particularly if you are looking at succession, internal mobility or the retention of experienced finance people.
The expectations have moved beyond the numbers
Finance still needs to produce accurate information and maintain strong controls. At the same time, business leaders increasingly want finance professionals who can explain what the numbers mean, understand commercial priorities and contribute while decisions are being shaped.
That calls for more than technical expertise.
Think of a capable finance manager who knows the business well and can see that a proposed course of action carries a risk.
- Can they raise it in a way that keeps the conversation open?
- Do they have a strong enough relationship with the stakeholder to be involved before the proposal is almost final?
- Can they offer a useful alternative rather than simply point out the problem?
Those skills affect whether the organisation benefits from the expertise it already has. Yet they can be easy to overlook in a finance development plan built primarily around technical capability.
If you are reviewing leadership development for finance professionals, you can view my Expert Services Directory listing and send me an enquiry about the gap you are seeing.
This belongs in your workforce plan
For a People or Talent leader, the issue reaches beyond the training budget. It touches the question of who will be ready to lead your finance function in the years ahead.
You may have experienced people with deep knowledge of your organisation who are capable of more. But if they have had little opportunity to build stakeholder influence, commercial confidence or leadership presence, they may not yet be seen as candidates for broader roles. Recruiting externally can appear to be the answer, even when there is potential within the team.
There is a retention question here too. As automation changes parts of finance work, experienced professionals want to understand where they can continue to contribute and grow. A credible development path helps them see a future in your organisation. It also helps the business make better use of the knowledge they have built over years.
None of this means promising everyone a promotion. It means being clear about how finance roles are changing, recognising the people who could grow with them, and giving those people opportunities to develop.
Two questions to ask about your finance population
You do not need to begin with a complex assessment. At your next talent discussion with the Finance Director, try asking:
Who is building relationships beyond the finance function?
- Look at where people spend their time and who seeks their input.
- Do they understand the priorities of the teams they support, or are most of their conversations confined to finance?
- Are they developing the trust that makes it easier to offer a perspective when it matters?
Who is brought into decisions early?
- When a team is considering a new investment, commercial proposal or operational change, does it involve finance while options are still open?
- If it consistently turns to finance afterwards, what is getting in the way?
The answers may differ from a conventional performance or potential rating. Someone can deliver excellent work and still need support to become visible and influential across the business. Another person may already be building strong relationships but need help expressing a clear recommendation in senior discussions.
That is where a more tailored development conversation begins. If you would value an external perspective on where to focus, visit my directory listing and tell me what you are noticing in your finance team.
What useful development could look like
I would start with the work these professionals are already being asked to do, then build development around the situations they face. That might include:
- Seeing themselves as business partners. Some experienced finance professionals have built successful careers by being the technical expert. They may need help recognising that their judgement, questions and relationships are also part of the value they bring.
- Communicating for a business audience. This means turning analysis into a clear point of view, explaining the implications and making it easier for a non-finance colleague to act.
- Handling challenging conversations. Finance needs people who can question assumptions, discuss risk and hold their ground without becoming known as the function that simply says “no”.
- Building stakeholder trust. Strong relationships develop through curiosity and regular conversation, before there is an urgent issue to resolve.
- Practising on real work. A workshop can introduce useful ideas. Applying them in meetings, presentations and stakeholder conversations, with feedback and support, is where the change becomes visible.
Your Finance Director can help identify where earlier involvement or stronger influence would make the greatest difference. People and Talent leaders can then connect that development to succession plans and meaningful career opportunities.
A question for your next talent review
When you discuss your finance population, ask: are we developing these people for the contribution the business needs from Finance now?
If your strongest technical people are rarely invited into wider decisions, there may be untapped leadership potential in the team. Understanding why is a useful place to start.
I’m Leila Singh, an FCCA qualified leadership development specialist and founder of Success Redefined. Drawing on more than 25 years in corporate Finance and Sales, I help organisations develop mid to senior finance professionals who can influence stakeholders, contribute to better decisions and become trusted strategic partners to the business.
To explore what this could look like for your finance team, visit my Expert Services Directory listing and send me an enquiry.
