The role of the financial manager has come a long way in the past few years. Even a couple of decades ago, the traditional financial manager was a numbers person, more concerned with the fiscal goals and achievements of the organisation than the people or the processes. The modern financial manager, however, is a whole new entity. He/she is one of the key leaders of the organisation with deep involvement across various verticals. Here are some of the top skills that every financial manager should possess to negotiate the changing dynamics of this role. By moving to the automation, a financial advisor can help you get client loyalty.
Technological aptitude
Technology has been the single most transformative element of recent years. Each day there is a new innovation, a new breakthrough. While financial management has been quite a traditional realm, the introduction of fintech has made it quite fast and innovation-driven. Some of the great business leaders of India and financial managers, like Sanjiv Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv, have embraced technology both personally and in their organizations. This has allowed them to keep up with the times, understand the needs of the consumer, and to present services that are now in greater demand. This also allows for greater financial inclusivity and for expansion of the consumer base to the far reaches of the country.
Change management
Change is the only constant, it is said. Transformative leadership is about being ready to face both environmental and internal changes with a vision and a plan of action. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a time of great change and transformation. While many business owners have to look ahead with fear and anxiety, the top financial leaders of India have taken it as a challenge and some have even adapted and transformed their entire business models to suit the changing needs of the end consumer. The role of efficient and resolute leadership in change management cannot be underscored enough. Read more about servant style leadership in detail if you need any help.
Collaboration
While one person can have a vision, it takes a team to achieve these goals.
A good financial leader understands that for an organization to achieve its financial goals there needs to be a great deal of collaboration between the various departments and verticals. The top-down organizational model suggests that this collaborative approach comes from the top. Involving different levels of employees to remain engaged and take ownership of their contribution to shared goals is just as important to success as is bringing consensus in the presence of diversity. This is the key skill that some of the top financial leaders of India have learned and honed to perfection.
Communication
Communication is one of the key elements that transform a good business leader into a great one. A clear and transparent style of communication helps a financial manager bond with team members, peers, customers, and stakeholders. Effective communication helps disseminate the vision that you have for your organization and helps clarify core values and company culture. It helps in direction setting as well as clearly and concisely communicating the organization’s strategic goals to the employees. A good communicator can be a great inspiration and can help motivate the organization’s workforce to work cohesively to achieve goals.
Leadership
Financial management has now emerged from the traditional functions that it used to hold and has become a dynamic, people-centric role. Strong leadership skills are among the most important attributes that make for an exceptional finance leader. Some of the famous personalities in finance in India and CIOs of major organisations are among the people that the country and economy look towards for direction and vision. Robust leadership inspires confidence. It allows you ineffective decision-making and in designing financial strategies that will chart the course of your organization.
Financial leadership is all about envisioning a future for you and for your organization that is replete with success. Such success can be defined in fiscal terms but it involves much more. It entails grooming and leveraging talent, using technological breakthroughs to your best advantage, motivating people, forging unbreakable bonds of commitment, and ownership, and making a difference in the lives of the stakeholders. Such a versatile role involves a number of different skills that a financial manager must work to develop.
Financial management has evolved into a dynamic role that deals with everything from fiscal strategies, direction setting, people management, values management, transformational vision, and introduction of tech innovations. This makes it imperative that the modern financial manager learn, develop, and hone a number of skills that will help in successful negotiation of these various functions. Leadership, communication, collaboration, change management, and technological skills are among the most important tools in a financial manager’s repertoire.