On a Mission to Help 1M Finance pros Master FP&A skills | Author of All About FP&A | Building FP&A Professionals Institute

▶️ Follow me for new and interesting content on Finance and FP&A ▶️

Hi, I’m Asif, a Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) professional and an entrepreneur from heart.

I have 12+ years of experience in Financial Planning, Budgeting, Forecasting, Audit and Tax. I have worked with organizations like EY, Citi and Pfizer.

Professionally my interests lie in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) and in my current role with Coursera, I'm responsible for Planning. Budgeting and Forecasting for India and APAC. 

In my previous FP&A roles at Citi, Pfizer and Great Learning I partnered with  finance and business leaders on various projects.

Before Citi, I worked with EY as an Audit Executive. I was responsible for planning, executing and concluding audits for listed companies.

This unique blend of experiences in FP&A and Audit, has allowed me to develop an holistic understanding of how businesses function.

Core expertise :
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Budgeting
Financial Planning
Financial Forecasting
People Management
Management Reporting
Finance Business Partnering
Auditing
Taxation
Content Creation

To have a quick chat you can call me on +91 8097379663 or email me at asif.masani@gmail.com

Asif Masani

Day 2/30 of 🎥 30-Day Claude + Excel Challenge
Day 2 - Setting Up Claude Inside Excel

Today we move from theory to setup.
If you want to use Claude with Excel, this is the step that unlocks everything.

Here’s what we cover:
• How to create your Claude account
• Why you may need Claude Pro ($20/month) for the Excel add-in
• How to install the Claude for Excel add-in and connect it to excel.

⚠️ Important: If you’re using a company laptop, check your IT policy before installing any AI tool. I strongly suggest starting on your personal device.

Once installed, Claude appears inside Excel as a chat panel.
That’s where the magic begins.

Tomorrow, we start asking Claude real Excel questions  formulas, analysis, explanations.
If you’re part of the challenge, comment Day 2 done once you’ve installed it.

Day 3 drops tomorrow.
Follow me for the entire journey.

Also I’ve opened 100 more for the Using Claude using Excel for FP&A Course
Join here : https://lnkd.in/dMS3g_pb
If you miss the top 100, comment Claude below and I’ll get you added.
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I'm Asif Masani author of All About FP&A and From Accounting to FP&A
Program Director CGFPA® at FP&A Professionals Institute
On a mission to help 1M Finance Professionals master FP&A Skills.
Click my Name + Follow + 🔔

Helping 1M Finance pros Master FP&A skills | FP&A Jobs | Director at FP&A Professionals Institute | Author of All About FP&A, From Accounting to FP&A and Data storytelling Playbook | Udemy Instructor

When interviewers ask about annual budgeting, they’re really testing your business partnering, project management, and business acumen and not whether you know the steps. 

Share this cheat sheet with a colleague to show how FP&A drives alignment, manages chaos, and turns strategy into executable numbers.  

Comment “BUDGET” to get a free PDF of my Amazon bestselling book All About FP&A.  


Scan the QR code to watch the full video

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm Asif Masani author of All About FP&A and From Accounting to FP&A
Program Director CGFPA® at FP&A Professionals Institute
On a mission to help 1M Finance Professionals master FP&A Skills.
Click my Name + Follow + 🔔 
For FREE video content on FP&A Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://lnkd.in/des-Fh8N

I train Finance Teams at Soft Skills | Corporate Training Facilitator | Course Instructor | Keynote Speaker

You can have a technically excellent finance team... And still find yourself making every major strategic decision alone.(I know because I’ve seen this pattern in dozens of companies)Your team spends weeks perfecting the slides, the analysis and be as complete as possibleBut when you need strategic input for an ExCo meeting, their work doesn’t give you the perspective you need to lead confidentlyThe result is like this:→ Silence in meetings→ Decisions made without financial guidance→ You, the CFO or Finance Leader, doing the heavy lifting yourselfThe problem isn't their technical skill. It’s their system.Most teams are stuck in one of three stages:1. The Reporters: Mastered accuracy, but they are "historians" documenting the past2. The Explainers: Crystal clear on the "why", but provide no actionable guidance3. The Influencers: Highly strategic, but the capability only lives in 1 or 2 "star" performersI help Finance Leaders systematize the shift from Historian to Strategic AdvisorUsing my 4-step Financial Storytelling Framework, I help your entire team:- Step 1: Prepare the Message – Identify what actually matters for the business decision at hand- Step 2: Prepare the Story – Use structures that speak to a specific audience and leads to a decision- Step 3: Prepare the Visuals – Create slides that support a recommendation- Step 4: Prepare the Delivery – Present with the confidence to handle pushback from the CEO or BoardI’ve implemented this system for teams at Holcim, Deloitte, Bauer Media, and IndeedHow we can work together:• For Teams: The Finance Stage — Systematizing storytelling across your whole function.• For Professionals: Financial Storytelling Program — My flagship training for future leaders• For CFOs: 1:1 Coaching and high-impact to change your presentationsThe best financial insight means nothing if it doesn’t change the way we work in a companyReady to de-risk your team's output and get the strategic support you need? Send me a message and let’s diagnose where your team is stuck

Soufyan Hamid

January results

How unuseful is your budget already?

Systematizing Storytelling for Finance Teams | EMBA Lecturer | Keynote Speaker

I used to think my forecasts meant I was "strategic"
I couldn't be more wrong

For years, I built forecasts that looked impressive

But when someone asked me to explain our strategy?

I’d default to looking some months ahead until year-end

That’s not strategy

Here’s what I missed:

Strategy is the choice that shapes capital allocation
It answers: Where will we play and what are we willing to risk?

Forecasting is the mechanism that tracks execution
It answers: What’s happening and how do we adjust?

Real strategy sounds like this:

“We will win in [this segment] by doubling down on [these capabilities], accepting lower short-term margins to secure long-term share”

This is a direction, a focus

The forecast that supports it:

• Translate the choice into financial objectives
• Allocate resources accordingly
• Track signals monthly
• Adjust assumptions without changing direction

See the difference?

Strategy is the wish you have
Forecasting is your execution loop

When I started with strategy first:

✅ Investment decisions became clearer
✅ Conversations with the Chiefs got to the point
✅ "Negotiations" were less political

It's not easy to change your way of thinking 

But that’s what changed how I see leadership in Finance

A forecast is not a strategy

Can you explain your strategy without mentioning a single number?

If not, start there

Financial storytelling isn’t dashboarding

These are two completely different skills

Too many finance teams still mix them up

I’ve trained 100s of pros across FP&A, controlling, and CFO offices

The pattern is always the same:
People think storytelling is about “slides”
Or “focused charts”
Or “nice formatting”

But storytelling starts long before you open PowerPoint

It starts with understanding the business
It grows through driver logic
And it becomes useful when you people remember your message after the meeting... and do something with it

Here are the 6 foundational components of financial storytelling (and why they matter):

1. Business Understanding
Knowing what’s really happening behind the numbers: the decisions, the drivers, the context
You can’t tell a story you don’t understand.

2. Driver Analysis
Breaking down what changed and why: volume, mix, price, timing, churn
This is where insight begins

3. Message Definition
Choosing the one thing people must remember
Everything else should serve that message

4. Visual Structure
Organising your flow so each slide builds on the last
Structure is what aligns with your story

5. Audience Framing
Shaping the message based on who’s in the room
- Some want direction
- Others want to analyse
- Most want impact

6. Connection
Making others feel the story through presence, tone, and attention
Trust is sensed before it’s proven

Most finance teams think storytelling is about charts

But great storytelling is about influence and impact

If you want your insights to land, your message to stick, and your role to grow

This is where it starts

 Financial Storytelling is...

The hardest part of FP&A is the pressure within

Every department has deadlines but Finance is unique

We are often the bottleneck between data and decision

We are expected to predict the future with precision, usually while the inputs are changing 5 minutes before the meeting

Early in my career, I tried to outwork the pressure

I thought if I just stayed later, I’d catch up.

I was wrong: you can’t outwork a broken process

Now, after two decades in the seat, I know the chaos doesn't disappear

So, instead, I manage my reaction to it

Here are the 5 rules I use to keep my head above water when the requests pile up:

1. Never start with a blank sheet 

Before you build a new model, check the archives
There is almost always an old report, a buried query, or a slide deck that answers 70% of the new request
Don’t reinvent the wheel, refurbish it

2. Embrace the "Rough Draft" mentality 

When the deadline is tight, perfection is the enemy
A perfect analysis delivered next week is useless if the decision needs to be made today
Tell stakeholders: "Here is the directional view right now. We can refine the decimals later"

3. De-escalate the "False Urgency" 

In the heat of a forecast cycle, everything feels critical
Pause, take a breathe and remind yourself: 
We are analyzing variances, not performing open-heart surgery

4. Ask "Why?" before "How?" 

If a request is vague, don’t start pulling data
Ask: "What decision will this number support?"
Clarifying the end-use upfront prevents the dreaded 5 rounds of "this isn't quite what I meant" later

5. Don’t waste a good crisis 

Stress is useless if it doesn't lead to improvement
After every brutal budget cycle or MBR, write down one thing to fix
What can be automated? What meeting can be cancelled? What needs a "No" next time?

I didn’t learn these strategies at school

I learned them at 9 PM on a Thursday, staring at a variance analysis that didn't add up

If you’re feeling the heat this week, try applying just one of these

Which one do you need to lean on most right now? 👇

5 Ways to Resist Pressure in FP&A 2026

Every CFO I’ve worked with lived under pressure

Boards, markets, CEOs and Investors

And when pressure is high, behaviour changes

Simply because they can’t afford surprises

If you want to really support a CFO and earn lasting trust, don’t push harder

Change how you show up

These are 7 moves I keep coming back to with FP&A and finance teams

1️⃣ Bring them in before things are “ready”
Pressure drops when there’s no reveal moment
- Share a rough first view, even if it’s messy
- Ask what worries them most about this topic
- Frame 2–3 possible directions instead of one polished conclusion

2️⃣ Lead with the helicopter view
CFOs think in terms of risks and trade-offs before details
- Start with a short summary: risks, options, decisions
- Keep it to one page
- The deck is support material, not the main event

3️⃣ Kill surprises early
Nothing erodes trust faster than bad news in public.
- Flag sensitive points one-on-one
- Share which questions you expect from others
- Align on framing before the meeting

4️⃣ Replace recommendations with choices
Your job is to enable judgment
- Lay out 2–3 realistic paths
- Quantify impact, risks, and consequences
- Let them shape the final call

5️⃣ Clarify how they want to engage
Busy doesn’t mean disengaged
- Ask where they want to decide vs delegate
- Agree on red lines and grey zones
- Don’t guess expectations

6️⃣ Close meetings like a pro
Confusion after a meeting recreates pressure
- Restate decisions, owners, deadlines
- Call out what still needs a choice
- Follow up with a short written recap

7️⃣ Help them look strong externally
If they absorb pressure, help them redistribute it
- Anticipate what they’ll be challenged on
- Arm them with simple explanations
- Make the story easy to repeat

When you do this consistently, two things change fast: micromanagement fades and your voice carries more weight in the room

That’s what real business partnering looks like

If you’re a CFO, tell your team which one of these you want them to apply this month

They’ll know exactly how to step up

7 W>ays to Handle a Stressed CFO

Most finance teams say they want to be strategic

But few define what that actually looks like

Offsites are great but that's not how you define culture

And that's normal: you recognise culture in your daily life, not with a large slogan hanging on a wall

High-performing finance teams build it through very specific, very ordinary choices

Below are 11 finance habits that weaken your team’s influence

And what strong finance teams do instead:

Avoid: “Here are the numbers for this month”
↳ Instead: Position finance as a decision partner
↳ Example: FP&A opens with, “Here’s the business decision this data supports”

Avoid: Vague feedback like “Good analysis”
↳ Instead: Give precise, actionable feedback
↳ Example: “Slide 4 is strong. The insight is clear. Let’s simplify the visual on slide 6”

Avoid: Long meetings with no conclusion
↳ Instead: End with decisions and clear owners
↳ Example: “We agreed on the forecast adjustment. John owns the model update”

Avoid: Celebrating late-night fire drills
↳ Instead: Reward proactive planning
↳ Example: The team is recognized for flagging risks before month-end close

Avoid: “That’s not our scope”
↳ Instead: Build cross-functional curiosity
↳ Example: Finance asks Sales, “Help us understand what’s driving pipeline changes”

Avoid: Models no one understands
↳ Instead: Transparent, explainable logic
↳ Example: Analysts walk through assumptions before showing outputs

Avoid: Data without narrative
↳ Instead: Teach storytelling with numbers
↳ Example: Decks follow: Context → Insight → Decision → Action

Avoid: Surprises at executive review
↳ Instead: Ongoing alignment
↳ Example: The CFO receives early signals on risks and opportunities

Avoid: Budgeting as an annual ritual
↳ Instead: Treat forecasts as living tools
↳ Example: Rolling forecasts drive real-time decisions

Avoid: Promotions based only on tenure
↳ Instead: Promote based on business impact
↳ Example: An analyst earns a senior role after leading a pricing strategy insight

Avoid: Finance acting as the “no” police
↳ Instead: Finance as strategic co-pilot
↳ Example: “Here’s how we can fund this growth responsibly”

Your team will be much more visible and recognisable with a strong team culture that will make them feel useful

Which of these do you see your teams struggle with most?

Most companies invest in systems, tools, and processes
High-performing ones invest in the finance leaders running them

The best organizations do both

Top FP&A leaders think about development across three levels:
1️⃣ Self
2️⃣ Team
3️⃣ Enterprise

Ignore one, and progress slows

Build all three, and performance scales without heroics, burnout, or endless firefighting

If you’re wondering where to focus first, here’s how the top 1% of FP&A leaders approach it

💪 Self-Leadership
How you operate as a finance leader

Financial Self-Awareness
↳ Know your analytical reflexes and blind spots
→ Lead with intention

Strategic Prioritization
↳ Focus on the few analyses that actually move decisions
→ Allocate effort to impact

Energy & Attention Management
↳ Protect deep-thinking time
→ Structure days around insight creation, not meeting overflow.

Emotional Composure
↳ Stay clear-headed in forecast volatility
→ Create space between pressure and reaction

Credibility Building
↳ Do what you say you’ll do, consistently
→ Match the narrative with the numbers, every month

👥 Team Leadership
How FP&A teams actually grow

Narrative Communication
↳ Create shared understanding
→ Define what “winning” means in financial terms

Decision-Driven Meetings
↳ Turn meetings into execution engines
→ Drive clear choices and next steps

Talent Acceleration
↳ Use projects as growth vehicles
→ Empower teams with context

Feedback That Elevates Thinking
↳ Give input that sharpens judgment
→ Focus on insight qualit

Accountability with Ownership
↳ Make commitments visible.
→ Review outcomes to learn

📈 Enterprise Leadership
How finance builds systems that scale performance

Strategy Setting
↳ Anchor finance around a few strategic priorities
→ Align capital allocation to value creation

Operational Excellence
↳ Reduce friction in planning and forecasting cycles
→ Improve handoffs between finance and the business

Culture Building
↳ Reward truth-telling over comfort
→ Reinforce clarity over complexity

Talent Architecture
↳ Put the right finance talent in the right seats
→ Develop storytellers

Predictable Performance
↳ Build reliable planning and review rhythms
→ Replace heroics with repeatable excellence

With this, development stops being theoretical and produces results you can count on

I'm breaking down how top finance leaders scale a storytelling mindset within their teams in a live session: 

Thursday, February 12, 5PM CET. Sign up below 👇

https://lnkd.in/efjM-SCd

Every serious FP&A issue starts small

And by the time the CFO fully sees it, it’s already costing credibility

Over the last four years working with FP&A leaders at The Finance Circle, an observation was repeated

Almost everyone has the technical ability, no question about that

What derails teams are small but key issues

The CFO expands the FP&A mandate:
– Own the forecast narrative
– Lead deeper analysis
– Interact directly with the business

On paper, that’s good news

But something structural often changes together with it

As FP&A steps up, it begins to carry the performance story day to day

- Questions from the business land there
- Context gets built there
- Explanations are shaped there

Gradually, FP&A becomes the operational center of gravity

The CFO remains accountable but no longer anchors the narrative daily

And if alignment isn’t intentionally maintained, distance is created

Here are 8 early warning signs that this shift is already hurting your team:

1️⃣ Multiple versions of truth
Different reports tell different stories 
And suddenly, no one knows which number to defend

2️⃣ Forecast fatigue
Forecasts keep changing, but no one can clearly explain why 
Ownership fades. Confidence follows

3️⃣ Ownership gaps
FP&A produces analysis, but it’s unclear who owns the metric or the decision 
So insights float. Nothing lands

4️⃣ Over-engineered models
Models become impressive artifacts instead of decision tools 
Few understand the and even fewer trust them

5️⃣ KPIs disconnected from value creation
Metrics look clean, but don’t reflect how the business actually creates value 
This is often when people start to ignore reports

6️⃣ Low stakeholder trust
Business partners challenge every insight or quietly bypass finance 
Why would they?

7️⃣ Backward-looking energy
Most energy goes into explaining the past 
Very little shapes what happens next

8️⃣ Surprises at executive level
ExCo debates issues Finance should have framed earlier.

But don't worry, it's not the end of the world

These signals are fixable when you spot them early 

But only if you’re willing to look beyond outputs… 
and address how FP&A actually works, decides, and communicates 

I’ve captured concrete ways to tackle each of these points 

If you’re leading an FP&A team today, take a look: I'm sure you’ll recognize more than one 

Which of these signs have you seen most often?

♻️ Share this with a CFO who wants to catch problems before they reach the top

8 Signs of a Dysfunctional FP&A Team

We have all received that email attachment

"January_MBR_Final_v3.pptx"

You open it

It has 52 slides

Yes, you have data and tables (and even charts) and they're all correct

But you scroll through all 52 slides and still ask: "So What?"

If your team measures value by the volume of slides rather than the clarity of the insight, they are stuck in "Reporting Mode"

And guess who has to fix it? You (usually late at night)

Stop playing "Where's Waldo" with your business strategy

It’s time to teach your team how to cut the noise

On Feb 12, we fix the root cause

Live Masterclass: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹
(How to move from Reporting to influence)

👉 Spot reserved here: https://lnkd.in/efjM-SCd

PS: this event is exclusively reserved for CFOs and Finance Team Leaders

Over the past years, many CFOs I worked with were either in burnout or dangerously close to it

The pressure rarely explodes but it accumulates. Budgets, board meetings, forecasts, ExCo colleagues or your team

All of this inside a calendar with no real space to think

When a CFO is exhausted, decision quality drops

And when that happens, the business feels it in pricing, hiring, investment timing, and risk management

This is why I started looking at energy as decision capacity

Here are a few practices that (ideally) work

1️⃣ Protect the first 60 minutes of your morning

Strong CFOs do not start in email
They use that time to frame what truly matters today

2️⃣ Define 1 to 3 decisions for the day

Be explicit about the calls that require your judgment
Writing them down sharpens your thinking and your communication

3️⃣ Block deep finance time

Several CFOs I worked with reserve 90 minutes before key meetings to review assumptions and pressure test scenarios
They treat preparation as strategic work

4️⃣ Shorten meetings

End with one sentence: here is the decision and here is the owner
Over time, finance becomes associated with clarity

5️⃣ Challenge low-impact requests

If an analysis does not influence a decision, question it
Protecting your attention protects your team’s attention

6️⃣ Maintain one peer conversation

A trusted finance peer to calibrate thinking and reduce isolation can dramatically lower cognitive pressure
For that, CFO networks exist in every country

7️⃣ Protect recovery deliberately

Choose a clear stop time and disconnect properly
I know, easier said than done but a reset is necessary to protect your energy

One nuance though: this is an ideal map

No CFO is expected to implement all of it immediately

Pick one practice, test it for two weeks

Observe what changes in your days

Burnout in finance often comes more from constant switching and carrying unresolved decisions than from volume alone

Your company does not need you constantly available
It needs you sharp when it matters

Which one of these would create the biggest difference for you right now?

Exception française 🇫🇷 aujourd'hui (et il y a une bonne raison)

Sur LinkedIn, je parle toujours en anglais

Mais cet événement mérite qu'on sorte des habitudes

-----
Masterclass exclusive ce 11 mars à 09h
Inscription gratuite pour les membres de la communauté sur
👉 https://lnkd.in/edMMySUN
-----

Le 11 mars, je serai à Paris pour une Masterclass exclusive au sein de Finpal, run by Qonto, la communauté des pros de la finance animée par Qonto

Et sans surprise, le sujet sera mon sujet préféré

"De la donnée à l'influence décisionnelle: la narration financière à l'heure de l'IA"

Parce qu'on a tous des chiffres, des dashboards et des reportings bien construits

Mais la vraie question, c'est : est-ce qu'ils convainquent vraiment votre CODIR ?

Ce soir-là, on va travailler ensemble sur :
→ Comment transformer vos reportings en histoires financières mémorables
→ Comment l'IA peut devenir votre allié pour gagner en influence
→ Comment passer de "bon analyste" à décideur qui compte

📍 Comet, Place des Victoires — Paris
📅 Mercredi 11 mars
👥 30 places seulement en présentiel
🎁 Des surprises pour les plus motivés 😉

Finpal, c'est déjà + de 2 500 DAF et dirigeants qui échangent sans filtre sur leurs défis quotidiens

C'est gratuit, c'est du partage pur et c'est exactement le genre d'endroit où ce genre de conversation a sa place

👉 Rejoignez la communauté et inscrivez-vous via le lien en commentaire

https://lnkd.in/edMMySUN

PS: Vous connaissez des DAF ou responsables financiers qui veulent avoir plus d'impact en réunion ? 

Taguez-les ci-dessous 👇

I love to teach Finance to Non-Finance people ❤️

Why?

Because I've made my challenge, since the start, to reduce the communication gap between us, Finance, and the rest of the company

My bet has been to take the burden on us

"We must learn to talk business instead of finance"

And that stays true...

...but that is also a lie to think that non-finance people can succeed in a company without having the basic knowledge of finance
- Understand a P&L (and mostly how to use its levers)
- Analyse a report (and detect the problems)
- Participate in budgets and forecasts
- Make decisions based on financial models

And that's why I love it 

Because, no matter what they tell you

Non-Finance people want to learn Finance

They're even excited about it

It's just a matter of finding the way to do it without transforming it into an "Accounting for Non-Finance" course

Because it's just like a car

You can learn to use and drive it...
...and leave the mechanics to the pros

That's my other way of reducing the communication gap 😉

What if you want to compare and show data over time?

A normal bar chart can't do that but...

... an dynamic one can

And unfortunately, if you keep working with Excel, you won't be able to use that

That's why, this time, I jumped to Gemini to build a bar chart that changes over time

You can use that to
- look at the evolution of your different products/customers
- follow your position in the market
- motivate sales teams by comparing their results month by month

You're only limited by your own creativity

If you want my prompt, here it is

Create a web app that shows the top 5 companies with the highest revenues in tech in the US over the last 20 years in a fun, animated way. Use a bar chart where the bars race against each other to show the ranking changes over time. And add the name of the winner in the title and change it every time the first changes

So have a try and let me know what race you created 😉

When I think back of my time as FP&A Manager, I have a bitter sweet memory

I was always wondering this:

Why do some peopla have a strong impact (what I wanted)…
while others don't (what I did)?

The answer was in the fact that nobody teaches you to be a leader

Or more accurately said, they expect you to learn by yourself

So I observed around, went to finance events, asked a lot

And what I observed is that it was mostly behavioural

I noticed 8 traits that transform FP&A leaders from reporters into trusted strategic partners

And once you start paying attention to them, your leadership never stays the same

1️⃣ Self-Aware

Elite FP&A leaders recognize their own bias, pressure triggers, and blind spots
They regulate themselves before emotion distorts financial judgment

2️⃣ Humble

They treat forecast misses and feedback as information
They improve the system instead of protecting their status

3️⃣ Attuned to the Business

They sense risk, hesitation, and opportunity in the room long before it appears in the variance bridge
They understand operational reality beyond the spreadsheet

4️⃣ Approachable

Bad news travels fast
Issues surface early
Truth does not get filtered on its way to Finance

5️⃣ Empathetic

They understand that every number reflects human behavior, incentives, and trade-offs
That awareness strengthens business partnership and decision quality

6️⃣ Adaptable

They adjust forecasts, capital allocation, and priorities quickly while maintaining financial discipline
Stability and agility coexist

7️⃣ Composed

In moments of volatility, they bring steadiness
Their tone influences the room
Calm thinking drives better capital decisions

8️⃣ Respectful

They challenge assumptions rigorously while protecting trust and professional dignity
Strong debate strengthens alignment

For a technical guy like me, it was weird not to train my technical skills

But that's what changed entirely how I communicated, how I approached my business colleagues and how I finally got the impact I wanted

So, the good news is that it is learnable

We develop these 8 traits inside The Finance Circle when we move teams from reporting to influencing

Which trait do you believe creates the biggest shift in FP&A performance?

Let me know below

It's hard to admit your team is only reporting

**Upcoming webinar for CFOs/Team leaders -> https://lnkd.in/efjM-SCd
Discover how to know if you're team is reporting or influencing in my webinar "The Financial Storytelling Maturity Model", on Feb 12**

Awareness is the first step... that's what most Finance Leaders who trust me have to go through before having their team improve their influence

And that's only logical

When you're in a company for a long time, habits start to become normal

In the last 4 years, 2 kinds of CFOs detected directly that their teams had limitations in how to influence business decisions

1. CFOs/FP&A Leaders who recently changed jobs

2. CFOs/FP&A Leaders who started to have complaints from the executives

For the rest, they know something is wrong

But they can't quite put a word on it

For these ones, I created the 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹

An easy way to know if your team is

1️⃣ Reporting: Accurate 'historians' who document what happened
2️⃣ Explaining: They clarify the 'why', but the insights don't always translate into business action
3️⃣ Influencing: Genuine strategic partners, but the impact is often trapped in 1 or 2 'star' performers

This is the audit I've used for all the leaders who have worked with me

You're curious about the Financial Storytelling Maturity Model?

I will show you exactly how it works on 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗲𝗯, 𝟭𝟮 𝗮𝘁 𝟱𝗽𝗺 𝗖𝗘𝗧 in a live webinar

Register now on https://lnkd.in/efjM-SCd

If you're a CFO or Finance Leader who wants to get more value from your team

This event is for you

♻️ If you know other finance leaders who are curious about how their teams perform, share that with them 🙏

PS: This event is exlcusively reserved for team leaders in Finance. If you're a controller, accountant or a general individual contributor, don't worry, there will be other events for you 😉.

Testimonials from Finance Leaders

84% of CFOs are dissatisfied with the presentations their finance team delivers

Yet 83% of finance professionals present to executives regularly

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And if you're in that 84%, you probably want to discover how to move your team from reporting to influencing
Join our next FREE masterclass for CFOs"The Financial Storytelling Maturity Model"
👉 https://lnkd.in/efjM-SCd
📅 March 09, 2026 at 5PM CET / 11AM ET
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Your team is smart. They know every number, their models are bulletproof, and their data is 100% accurate

But before the ExCo meeting, you're there, fixing headlines, connecting dots, translating the math into a business story

Again

As long as you're doing that, you're the bottleneck of your own department

After 70+ interviews with CFOs and Finance Directors, I found that most teams get stuck at one of two levels

Either they're 

🔴 Reporting (Level 1)
Your team states facts. You ask "so what?" every single time.

🟡 Explaining (Level 2)
Your team finds root causes. But problems are dropped with no accountability.

They've diagnosed the illness, but they drop it on your desk without prescribing the medication, leaving you to make the actual decision

In the ideal world, you'd want them to reach 

🟢 Influencing (Level 3)
Your team connects the dots AND prescribes the next move, helping decisions happen

In the latest group: 43% of teams are at Level 1. Only 21% reach Level 3

The gap isn't talent. It's the absence of a repeatable business methodology, and that can be installed.

On March 9th, I'm running a free live masterclass for CFOs and Finance Leaders to show you exactly how to move your team up the maturity model

✅ The Financial Storytelling Maturity Model
✅ The 3 What method to turn data into decisions
✅ The 4-Step Approach to install this in your team

🗓 Monday March 9 — CET 5PM | GMT 4PM | EST 11AM

Registration here 👇
https://lnkd.in/efjM-SCd

(If this describes your reality, repost ♻️, another CFO in your network probably needs to read this)

Your words are killing your presence

12 ways to know if you’re doing it:

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You want to boost your FP&A team's presence and move them from 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 to 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴
Join our next masterclass "The Financial Storytelling Maturity Model"
👉 https://lnkd.in/efjM-SCd
📅 March 09, 2026 at 5PM CET / 11AM ET
-----

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲:

“Maybe we should…”
“I may be wrong, but…”
“Can I ask a dumb question?”
“Just thinking out loud here…”
“Hopefully this makes sense…”
“This might be overstepping…”
“Does that sound okay to you?”
“I’ll try my best to get that done…”
“I’m no expert in operations, but…”
“I just wanted to share this update…”
“I’m not sure if this adds value, but…”
“Would you mind if I add something?”

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:
“Here’s the key shift”
“The numbers suggest…”
“Here’s what the data is signalling”
“Here’s one scenario worth testing”
“Here’s how the pieces fit together”
“There’s a financial implication here”
“Does this align with your priorities?”
“Here’s an insight that could shift things”
“You’ll have the updated model by Friday”
“Let me build on that from a financial angle”
“Here’s how this flows through P&L and cash”
“Help me understand how this connects to targets”

In FP&A, your presence depends on what you know

but also on how confidently you deliver it

➟ Your analysis stays the same
➟ Your credibility doesn’t
➟ Strong language creates strong leadership

Which phrase are you eliminating first? 👇

12 Phrases Killing Your FP&A Presence

Actually, I find it easier to create a story when things are wrong

When you’re hitting targets, the story is often "let's continue"

But when you have a $10M budget miss, you have real tension, a challenge, and a clear need for a resolution

And an opportunity show your value

The danger isn't the story itself but being seen as a "bulls*** manager" with a hero story 🙄

In finance, we need to go into the deep weeds, look for what’s not working, and map the way out

But here is the number 1 rule: 

Delivering the truth is never the issue. Delivering it as a surprise is. 

If your insight puts someone in the fire, they should never discover it live in the meeting 

When you drop a $10M bomb without warning, the room shifts into "survival mode" instantly. 

People don’t look for solutions then. They:
- Defend themselves to protect their reputation
- Challenge your numbers just to buy time, even if they are 100% solid
- Spread blame to manage the blast radius

Suddenly, your meeting becomes political

To own the story and keep the focus on the business, follow these rules:

1️⃣ Pre-align before you walk in

You don't soften the message or collude
You just give people space to prepare so they can focus on solutions instead of finger-pointing

2️⃣ Quantify the gap before explaining the causes

Executives need the consequences to make decisions

3️⃣ Don’t hide bad news until the last slide

Open with the impact, then walk through the cause and the response

4️⃣ Always show the plan going forward

Even if the numbers are bad, give your ExCo options
And ideally, these options will have been challenged with the experts

5️⃣ Don’t soften the truth to protect yourself

Downplaying a hit will only backfire next quarter
Real trust is built when you are accountable for them

All of that is to make sure your story prepares people

And prepared people think, instead of reacting

How do you handle your own "gap" stories?

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