Category: Talent Development

Are You Developing Your Finance Talent for the Role the Business Now Needs?

Are You Developing Your Finance Talent for the Role the Business Now Needs?

October 2, 2026

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. 

 

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    Your Finance Team Is Technically Strong. So Why Isn’t the Business Listening?

    Your Finance Team Is Technically Strong. So Why Isn’t the Business Listening?

    October 2, 2026

    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.

    Your Finance Team Is Technically Strong. So Why Isn’t the Business Listening?

    Ask a Finance Director about their team and they’ll often tell you how capable they are. The reporting is accurate. The deadlines are met. They know the numbers inside out.

    Then comes the frustration: “We have the insight, but the business doesn’t always involve us until the decision has been made.”

    If that sounds familiar, the question may not be whether your team needs more technical training. It may be whether they have the relationships, confidence and communication skills to make their expertise count early enough.

     

    Why good finance insight arrives too late

    A finance professional can produce an excellent analysis and still have little influence over the outcome. By the time their report reaches a stakeholder, a preferred course of action may already have taken shape.

    Imagine a commercial team working towards a new deal. Finance could help test the assumptions, explore the margin and find a way to make the deal work. But if colleagues expect finance to say “no”, they may wait until the proposal is nearly complete before bringing them in.

    At that point, finance faces a difficult choice: raise concerns that feel like an obstacle or stay quiet about a risk they can see.

    That is an expensive position for any business to put its finance team in. It can mean rework, slower decisions and missed opportunities to improve the deal while there is still room to change it.

    I have worked in both finance and executive sales, spanning 25-years, so I understand why those conversations can become difficult on either side. The opportunity is to help finance become a partner colleagues want to involve while options are still open.

    If this is a pattern you recognise, you can view my Expert Services Directory listing and send me an enquiry about the challenges you’re seeing in your team.

     

    Is your team known beyond finance?

    Here are two questions I would ask a Finance Director looking at their team’s development.

    First, who do your finance people speak to regularly outside the function?

    •         Think beyond the meetings they are required to attend.
    •         Do they understand what matters to colleagues in Sales, Operations and other areas of the business?
    •         Are they curious about the pressures behind the numbers?

    Second, who seeks them out before making a decision?

    •         When a stakeholder is weighing up an investment, a customer proposal or a change in direction, do they think to involve someone from finance at the start?

    The answers can reveal a gap that a performance review might miss. Someone can be highly capable, respected within finance and ready for more responsibility, yet remain largely unknown to the people they need to influence.

    That does not mean they should spend their week networking for the sake of it. It means building enough trust and understanding that a useful conversation can happen before a decision becomes difficult to change.

    Sometimes that starts with a simple question: “What are you trying to achieve, and where would a finance perspective help?”

     

    Developing finance business partners takes practice

    Finance business partnering training is most useful when it changes what people do in real conversations. Your team may need support to:

    •         turn financial analysis into a clear recommendation that a non-finance colleague can act on;
    •         ask better questions about a stakeholder’s commercial priorities;
    •         challenge an assumption without closing down the discussion;
    •         speak with confidence when senior people disagree; and
    •         build relationships across the business before an urgent issue arises.

    These are finance influencing skills, and they become stronger through practice. A presentation or workshop can start the conversation, but people also need opportunities to apply what they learn to their own stakeholders and decisions.

    For a Finance Director, the result to look for is straightforward:

    •         Are your people being brought into more useful conversations, earlier?
    •         Are they helping colleagues make better-informed choices, rather than explaining the financial consequences afterwards?

    If you are considering how to develop that capability, visit my directory listing and use the contact form to tell me where your team is getting stuck.

     

    Start with the people who are ready to contribute more

    Often, the greatest opportunity sits with your experienced finance professionals. They know the organisation, understand the detail and can see patterns others miss. Some are already doing the work of a strategic partner, but have not yet developed the visibility or confidence to be recognised as one.

    Give them a clear expectation that building relationships and contributing to decisions is part of their role. Then give them support with the conversations they find hardest, whether that is challenging a senior stakeholder, presenting a recommendation or making the first approach to a team outside finance.

    This also matters for your future leadership pipeline. If you want more of your own people ready to step into senior finance roles, technical strength alone will not tell you who can earn trust and influence across the business.

    So here is the question I would leave you with: when the next important commercial decision is taking shape, will someone think to involve your finance team before the options narrow? If you are unsure, there is useful work to do.

     

    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.

    Nurturing Leadership in the Third Sector: Turning Accidental Managers into Organisational Champions.

    October 14, 2025

    Hayley Gillard – Compassionate Leaders Ltd

    Let’s be honest: in the charity and non-profit world, people often get promoted into management not because they’ve had formal leadership training – but because they’re brilliant at their job. They’re reliable, technically excellent, and deeply committed to the cause. So when a team lead position comes up, they’re the obvious choice.

    And that’s where the trouble begins.

    Because being great at doing the work isn’t the same as being confident in managing people doing the work.

    What we often end up with, through no fault of their own, is an “accidental manager.” Someone who’s in charge of a team but has never been shown how to manage people effectively. They want to do well. They care. But they’re overwhelmed, unsure, and sometimes even quietly dreading the people side of the job.

    Sound familiar?

    It’s more common than people think.

    Every organisation I speak to have at least a few accidental managers. They’re often passionate, mission-driven, and desperate not to let their teams (or the organisation) down—but they’re trying to lead without the tools, confidence, or support they need.

    What this looks like day to day:

    • They avoid difficult conversations because they don’t know how to start them
    • They take on too much, trying to be helpful, because delegation feels like dumping
    • They go quiet in leadership meetings because they don’t want to look like they’re out of their depth
    • Their teams start to lack direction, clarity or motivation—and issues slowly bubble under the surface

    And that ends up creating a culture where:

    • Staff feel unsupported or confused about expectations
    • Senior leaders are constantly being pulled in to “fix” issues that should be handled at team level
    • Really good people burn out, step back, or leave because it all feels too much.

    The cost of not supporting managers properly isn’t always obvious on a spreadsheet – but you can feel it in the day-to-day culture.

    It’s not about skills alone. It’s about confidence

    Here’s the thing I wish every senior leadership team knew: most accidental managers don’t need a bootcamp of theory. They need safe, consistent support that helps them grow their confidence and apply simple, practical tools in real-life situations.

    Because it’s not that they’re incompetent—it’s that no one has ever taught them:

    • How to have an honest but compassionate conversation
    • How to balance being approachable with setting clear boundaries
    • How to lead through change without carrying the weight alone
    • How to motivate someone who’s disengaged or struggling
    • How to spot where their own mindset might be getting in the way

    And, perhaps most importantly – how to feel like they can do this.

    When you work with managers on that level, you see something shift. They start to lean into the tough bits rather than avoiding them. They find their voice. They get clearer with their teams. They start leading with a bit more courage and a lot more clarity.

    Why this really matters at organisational level:

    If you’re in a senior role, you’re not just thinking about one manager, you’re thinking about the whole organisation.

    And it’s easy to assume that people “should” know how to manage, or that training is something they’ll pick up when they’ve got more time. But in reality, unsupported managers create:

    • Inconsistency—every team gets a different experience depending on their manager’s natural style
    • Escalation—senior leaders constantly being pulled into decisions or conflicts that could’ve been handled earlier
    • Confusion—staff don’t know what’s expected of them or how to grow in their roles
    • Low confidence—managers don’t ask for help because they’re worried it makes them look incapable

    On the flip side, when you invest in growing managers who are confident, self-aware, and people-focused:

    • You free up senior leaders to focus on strategy instead of firefighting
    • Teams feel clearer, calmer, and better supported
    • You create a genuine talent pipeline—people who could grow into bigger roles over time
    • You embed a culture where kindness and accountability can sit side-by-side
    • You get better outcomes—for the organisation, for your beneficiaries, and for your people

    It’s not fluffy stuff. It’s culture-shaping, risk-reducing, performance-improving work.

    So what does good support actually look like?

    Let’s be real – sending someone on a two-day generic course probably isn’t going to cut it.

    If you want to turn accidental managers into confident, consistent leaders, the support needs to be:

    • Ongoing – so they’re supported while applying it, not just left to sink or swim
    • Practical – real-life language, tools they’ll actually use, and space to talk about their real challenges
    • Safe – somewhere they don’t feel like they have to pretend they’ve got it all together
    • Shared – part of a peer group where they realise they’re not the only one who finds it hard
    • Structured – ideally with accreditation or a clear framework so they (and you) can see progress

    The managers I work with often tell me they’re relieved just to find out they’re not the only one. That alone makes a huge difference. And once they’ve got that foundation, we can start to layer in the practical stuff: feedback frameworks, motivation models, how to build psychological safety, how to make confident decisions, and so on.

    Because leadership is something we learn – not something we magically know how to do the moment we get the job title.

    A strategic decision, not just a nice-to-have.

    If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Our managers are doing their best, but something’s not quite clicking,” you’re not imagining it. And you’re definitely not alone.

    Lots of charities are grappling with this – especially now, when capacity is stretched, change is constant, and everyone’s doing more with less.

    But investing in your managers—really investing, not just hoping they figure it out—gives you back so much more:

    • Headspace for senior leaders
    • A stronger, more resilient middle layer
    • Higher retention across teams
    • Less stress and reactivity
    • And a culture that people want to stay in

    Not every organisation sees it as a strategic priority, but the ones that do tend to find they spend less time managing crises, and more time building momentum.

    A final thought

    Accidental managers aren’t the problem. They’re the solution, if we support them properly.

    They’re the future heads of departments, future CEOs, future culture shapers. They’re the ones holding the day-to-day experience of your staff in their hands.

    Let’s not leave them to figure it out alone.

    If you’re nodding along and thinking, “That’s exactly what we’re seeing in our organisation,” I’d love to talk about how we can support your managers to grow into the kind of leaders your people, and your mission, deserve.

    Because confident, compassionate managers don’t just make things easier. They make everything better.

    How to choose the right coach / consultant for your organisation

    Nurturing Leadership in the Third Sector: Turning Accidental Managers into Organisational Champions.

    October 7, 2025

    Let’s be honest: in the charity and non-profit world, people often get promoted into management not because they’ve had formal leadership training – but because they’re brilliant at their job. They’re reliable, technically excellent, and deeply committed to the cause. So when a team lead position comes up, they’re the obvious choice.

    And that’s where the trouble begins.

    Because being great at doing the work isn’t the same as being confident in managing people doing the work.

    What we often end up with, through no fault of their own, is an “accidental manager.” Someone who’s in charge of a team but has never been shown how to manage people effectively. They want to do well. They care. But they’re overwhelmed, unsure, and sometimes even quietly dreading the people side of the job.

    Sound familiar?

    It’s more common than people think.


    Every organisation I speak to have at least a few accidental managers. They’re often passionate, mission-driven, and desperate not to let their teams (or the organisation) down—but they’re trying to lead without the tools, confidence, or support they need.

    What this looks like day to day:

    • They avoid difficult conversations because they don’t know how to start them
    • They take on too much, trying to be helpful, because delegation feels like dumping
    • They go quiet in leadership meetings because they don’t want to look like they’re out of their depth
    • Their teams start to lack direction, clarity or motivation—and issues slowly bubble under the surface

    And that ends up creating a culture where:

    • Staff feel unsupported or confused about expectations
    • Senior leaders are constantly being pulled in to “fix” issues that should be handled at team level
    • Really good people burn out, step back, or leave because it all feels too much.

    The cost of not supporting managers properly isn’t always obvious on a spreadsheet – but you can feel it in the day-to-day culture.

    It’s not about skills alone. It’s about confidence

    Here’s the thing I wish every senior leadership team knew: most accidental managers don’t need a bootcamp of theory. They need safe, consistent support that helps them grow their confidence and apply simple, practical tools in real-life situations.

    Because it’s not that they’re incompetent—it’s that no one has ever taught them:

    • How to have an honest but compassionate conversation
    • How to balance being approachable with setting clear boundaries
    • How to lead through change without carrying the weight alone
    • How to motivate someone who’s disengaged or struggling
    • How to spot where their own mindset might be getting in the way

    And, perhaps most importantly – how to feel like they can do this.

    When you work with managers on that level, you see something shift. They start to lean into the tough bits rather than avoiding them. They find their voice. They get clearer with their teams. They start leading with a bit more courage and a lot more clarity.

    Why this really matters at organisational level:

    If you’re in a senior role, you’re not just thinking about one manager, you’re thinking about the whole organisation.

    And it’s easy to assume that people “should” know how to manage, or that training is something they’ll pick up when they’ve got more time. But in reality, unsupported managers create:

    • Inconsistency—every team gets a different experience depending on their manager’s natural style
    • Escalation—senior leaders constantly being pulled into decisions or conflicts that could’ve been handled earlier
    • Confusion—staff don’t know what’s expected of them or how to grow in their roles
    • Low confidence—managers don’t ask for help because they’re worried it makes them look incapable

    On the flip side, when you invest in growing managers who are confident, self-aware, and people-focused:

    • You free up senior leaders to focus on strategy instead of firefighting
    • Teams feel clearer, calmer, and better supported
    • You create a genuine talent pipeline—people who could grow into bigger roles over time
    • You embed a culture where kindness and accountability can sit side-by-side
    • You get better outcomes—for the organisation, for your beneficiaries, and for your people

    It’s not fluffy stuff. It’s culture-shaping, risk-reducing, performance-improving work.

    So what does good support actually look like?

    Let’s be real – sending someone on a two-day generic course probably isn’t going to cut it.

    If you want to turn accidental managers into confident, consistent leaders, the support needs to be:

    • Ongoing – so they’re supported while applying it, not just left to sink or swim
    • Practical – real-life language, tools they’ll actually use, and space to talk about their real challenges
    • Safe – somewhere they don’t feel like they have to pretend they’ve got it all together
    • Shared – part of a peer group where they realise they’re not the only one who finds it hard
    • Structured – ideally with accreditation or a clear framework so they (and you) can see progress

    The managers I work with often tell me they’re relieved just to find out they’re not the only one. That alone makes a huge difference. And once they’ve got that foundation, we can start to layer in the practical stuff: feedback frameworks, motivation models, how to build psychological safety, how to make confident decisions, and so on.

    Because leadership is something we learn – not something we magically know how to do the moment we get the job title.

    A strategic decision, not just a nice-to-have.

    If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “Our managers are doing their best, but something’s not quite clicking,” you’re not imagining it. And you’re definitely not alone.

    Lots of charities are grappling with this – especially now, when capacity is stretched, change is constant, and everyone’s doing more with less.

    But investing in your managers—really investing, not just hoping they figure it out—gives you back so much more:

    • Headspace for senior leaders
    • A stronger, more resilient middle layer
    • Higher retention across teams
    • Less stress and reactivity
    • And a culture that people want to stay in

    Not every organisation sees it as a strategic priority, but the ones that do tend to find they spend less time managing crises, and more time building momentum.

    A final thought

    Accidental managers aren’t the problem. They’re the solution, if we support them properly.

    They’re the future heads of departments, future CEOs, future culture shapers. They’re the ones holding the day-to-day experience of your staff in their hands.

    Let’s not leave them to figure it out alone.

    If you’re nodding along and thinking, “That’s exactly what we’re seeing in our organisation,” I’d love to talk about how we can support your managers to grow into the kind of leaders your people, and your mission, deserve.

    Because confident, compassionate managers don’t just make things easier. They make everything better.