Finance Pros — Is Your Soft Skill Set Future-Ready?

The finance function is undergoing a transformation, and CFOs must adapt accordingly — which includes hiring according to a new paradigm.

Instead of seeking technical experts, CFOs interested in modernizing the finance function are seeking out those with solid soft skills. Their reasoning? As Meg Bear, Controller at Turner Enterprises, Inc., tells it, technical skills can be trained but soft skills are tougher to train and harder to come by.

CFOs and finance leaders, as you modernize your office and work toward building a team of emotionally intelligent and competent finance professionals, what soft skills will you prioritize as you hire? We have some thoughts.

Reduce Silos, Maximize Growth

Finance teams are storytellers in their own right. Every number and decimal point tells a story — it’s just a matter of implementing the right skills to help the whole organization see it.

The ability to reduce silos through quality communication is an essential soft skill for the modern finance professional. This could involve a myriad of tactics, including:

➡️ Using common tools or communication platforms
➡️ Leveraging less technical language to build bridges between diverse teams 
➡️ Building trust and partnering with other leaders across the organization

Ultimately, the most growth happens when the least silos are in place. Prioritize communication and bridge-building, and watch as your impact skyrockets.

Hire for the Soft Skills

There’s something to be said for technical prowess, sure, but theoretically, anyone could learn how to work in finance. It is, however, very hard to train someone to communicate well or be in tune with the emotions of those around them. Those soft skills are essential to success, especially on a finance team.

There’s something special about being on the ground floor of the modernization of the finance function, and your team has the potential to set the bar high by communicating well and sharing your organization’s story with clarity, competence and enthusiasm.

As you identify the key soft skills needed for success on your team, consider Meg’s advice. In the latest episode of The CFO Show, she digs into the core competencies she believes are essential to success and offers advice for the Office of Finance looking to scale up its organizational impact.

Lead Smarter…

Effective leadership often hinges on the capacity to understand and manage emotions, both within ourselves and in others. Harness the power of emotional intelligence to transform your leadership style with Vena Academy's free course: How to Lead with Emotional Intelligence. Elevate your ability to connect, empathize, and inspire. 

In case you missed it…

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What’s next…

Microsoft is spearheading the integration of AI into business solutions, harnessing the power of technologies like Azure AI to transform industries and empower organizations with intelligent capabilities. Ahmed Adel, Director of Data, Apps & AI Cloud Solution Architecture at Microsoft, discusses how these innovations are poised to revolutionize the work landscape for finance professionals.