I teach Finance Teams how to use ChatGPT - Keynote speaker on AI for Finance & FP&A

For AI Finance Trainings and Workshops:

✉️ Contact me here: hello@nicolasboucher.online

About me:

Finance Thought Leader specialized in AI, trained more than 5,000 people and on a mission to help more than 1 million finance professionals.

I teach finance people how to use AI.

You can also book me as a keynote speaker.


My previous roles:

🏭 Thales (Germany):
2022-23: Senior manager controlling role for the Transportation business (€500 million business)
2018-22: Part of the management and led the Finance and Controlling team of a production site (400 people) specialised in producing Traveling Waves Tubes for Satellites
2016-2018: Head of Finance Transformation

👨‍💻 PwC:
2014-2016: Audit Manager in PwC Luxembourg
2012-2014: Audit Manager in PwC Singapore
2009-2012: Auditor in PwC Luxembourg


My experience:

Living in 5 different countries across 3 different continents (France, USA, Luxembourg, Singapore and Germany) gave me the capacity to integrate myself quickly and understand different local and working cultures.

Worked 8 years for Thales, an engineering and industrial french multinational.
I had finance manager roles and was part of the management of a 400 people production site.

Prior to that, I worked 7 years as an auditor and consultant for PwC in Luxembourg and Singapore.


My private life:

I am married and a happy father of two young daughters. We both learn from each other and we enjoy reading french books together and play outside.
When I am not busy with my daughters, I am exercising, cooking and spending quality time with friends.
Finally, traveling and tasting new food are some of my favorite experiences. But if you ask me where is the most beautiful place and where can we find the best food in the world, I have only one response: my hometown, Brittany in France.


My Specialties:

-Finance & accounting
-Controlling, budgeting & forecasts
-FP&A
-ChatGPT
-AI
-Storytelling
-Cross-cultural management, coaching and training
-Cost reduction
-Management
-Analytics, Business Performance and Activity Dashboard
-Audit & controls
-Business Processes Modelling
-Financial Statements and Cash Flow
-Business Intelligence
-Fluent in French (native speaker), English & German

Hashtags:
#finance #controlling #accounting #management #cfo #cash #budgeting #forecasting #chatgpt

https://nicolasboucher.online

Nicolas Boucher

Top 100 KPIs (I wish I knew them sooner)
👉 Download your PDF copy here: https://lnkd.in/drNX_va6

Most finance teams drown in metrics but miss the few KPIs that actually move the business.

I’ve created this Top 100 KPIs collection every finance team should know across 10 categories that cover the full finance spectrum:

1. Accounting KPIs
Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), Days Payable Outstanding (DPO), Days Inventory Outstanding (DIO), and the full Cash Conversion Cycle
→ These show how efficiently you manage working capital and operations

2. Cash KPIs
Operating Cash Flow, Free Cash Flow, Cash Burn Rate, Runway, and Liquidity Ratio
→ Track how long your business can survive and when to act

3. CEO KPIs
Revenue Growth, Gross Margin, EBITDA, Net Profit Margin, and ROI
→ The metrics every CEO and board watch first

4. SaaS KPIs
MRR, ARR, CAC, LTV, Churn Rate, and Payback Period
→ If you run a subscription model, these define your business health

5. Investor KPIs
Earnings per Share, ROE, ROA, Debt-to-Equity, and P/E Ratio
→ Metrics that signal financial strength and investor confidence

6. Headcount KPIs
Revenue per Employee, Cost per Hire, Turnover Rate, and Productivity Index
→ Connect finance and HR to improve efficiency and retention

7. Capex KPIs
Capex to Revenue, Capex ROI, Depreciation %, and Asset Turnover
→ Reveal how well you invest and utilize company assets

8. Balance Sheet KPIs
Current Ratio, Quick Ratio, Debt Ratio, and Working Capital
→ Essential for liquidity and solvency checks

9. Tax KPIs
Effective Tax Rate, Deferred Tax %, and Tax Liability to Revenue
→ Track the real cost of taxation and compliance performance

10. Inventory KPIs
Inventory Turnover, Stockout Rate, and Holding Cost %
→ Keep cash flow healthy and avoid overstock or shortages

This is the checklist I wish I had as a Finance Manager and CFO

Use it to:
✅ Select the KPIs that truly drive your business
✅ Assign owners and targets
✅ Review them monthly and make decisions faster

Save this post for your next board or planning session.

If you want the PDF of my Ultimate Finance Cheat Sheet in addition to the 100 KPIS collection, comment "cheat sheet" below and I will send it to you.

I teach Finance Teams how to use AI - Keynote speaker on AI for Finance (Email me if you need help)

What is CapEx?
👉 Download my Ultimate Finance resources: https://lnkd.in/e7DPs84q

The Ultimate Breakdown for Finance Teams

CapEx is one of those concepts everyone thinks they understand…
Until they have to explain it in a board meeting

“CapEx looks simple… but it’s where most teams make the wrong calls”
Here’s the post that fixes that

CapEx matters because it shapes:
• Your growth story
• Your asset health
• Your company valuation

But most confusion comes from how to calculate it, when to use it, and how it differs from OpEx

Here’s what’s inside the infographic:
1. What CapEx actually is
Funds used to acquire, upgrade, or maintain long-term assets
Not day-to-day expenses. Capitalized on the balance sheet

2. Why it’s crucial for businesses
• Indicates growth and reinvestment
• Maintains aging assets
• Impacts Free Cash Flow and valuation

3. How to calculate CapEx
PP&E (current) – PP&E (prior) + Depreciation
Or pull it from Investing Cash Flow

4. CapEx vs. OpEx
CapEx = long-term, capitalized, depreciated (trucks, buildings, patents)
OpEx = daily operations, fully expensed (rent, salaries, utilities)

5. Limitations of CapEx
• Huge cash drain
• Risk of asset impairment
• Inflated earnings quality

6. When to analyze CapEx vs. when NOT to
✔ High-heavy industries
✔ Free Cash Flow analysis
✔ Expansion strategy
✖ Early-stage startups
✖ Short-term liquidity checks
✖ Lease vs. Buy distortions

If your team misunderstands CapEx, you’ll misread cash flow, misjudge performance, and mislead investors

This infographic fixes that in 60 seconds

👉 Download my Ultimate resources for finance pros here: https://lnkd.in/e7DPs84q

💬 Want me to make an OpEx version next?

🔁 Repost to help another finance pro understand CapEx

ChatGPT vs Copilot 
👉 Download my 100 ChatGPT Tips: https://lnkd.in/e6VC4Rhq

Which GenAI should you actually use: ChatGPT or Copilot?
That’s a question I get a lot

That’s why I created this guide for you.

Here are my clear rules on which one to choose:

1 - INDIVIDUALS & SMALL BUSINESSES

You’re an individual or small business, not fully in Microsoft or Google?

Recommendation: ChatGPT (take the Teams license if you’re a small business; it has enterprise-grade security and is SOC2 Type II compliant).

It has the best functionalities, best interface, and always ships innovative models first.

Drawback: it's not yet fully connected with your business data (though it's improving with connectors to Google Drive, Calendar, OneDrive, and Outlook).

This is the one I use for my team and me.


2 - BUSINESSES USING MICROSOFT

You guessed it: Copilot.

Why?
Because Copilot 365 with Microsoft 365 brings AI directly to your work data.

This is Copilot’s most underrated feature and the main reason to choose it if you’re a Microsoft shop.

Try this:
Step 1. Switch to "Work" mode
Step 2. Type "/" in Copilot and access a doc
Step 3. Enter the file name
Step 4. Ask Copilot to perform a task on it
Step 5. AI works with real context from your files

That’s a huge advantage over ChatGPT or tools not connected to your work data, where you need preliminary steps to provide context

If you already trust Microsoft with Outlook and Excel online, Copilot makes perfect sense:
- No extra vendor to manage
- Your confidential info stays in Microsoft’s security graph (the same Copilot uses)
- No separate user/license management (it’s tied to Microsoft 365)

And Copilot is just getting started
I got insights from Microsoft Teams telling me that they are working to integrate AI deeper, with more promising features coming soon

Bottom line
Choose based on where your work lives, not the hype
Tell me which one is your favorite one and why

👉 Download my 100 ChatGPT Tips: https://lnkd.in/e6VC4Rhq

Top 100 Excel Shortcuts
👉 Download the High Resolution PDF: https://lnkd.in/dXhJ4HvF

Make yourself 2x more productive in Excel

100 shortcuts ranked from Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Underrated

Like, Bookmark this and Share it.
Thousands of hours will be saved!

If you think you know well Excel, I bet you will still learn something new in the Advanced table (items 51 to 75).

What do we cover?

A list of essential Excel shortcuts for professionals.

Here is a preview:

🟠 Basic

1. How to copy text?
Ctrl + C

2. How to cut text?
Ctrl + X

3. How to paste?
Ctrl + V

4. How to undo?
Ctrl + Z

5. How to redo?
Shift + F11

(get the answers 6-25 in the Cheat Sheet below)

⚪ Intermediate

26. How to autosum?
Alt + =

27. How to fill down?
Ctrl + D

28. How to fill right?
Ctrl + R

29. How to do flash fill?
Ctrl + E

30. How to insert hyperlink?
Ctrl + K

(get the answers 31-50 in the Cheat Sheet below)

⚫ Advanced

51. How to show / hide ribbon?
Ctrl + F1

52. How to create custom view?
Alt + W + C

53. How to paste special (values only)?
Ctrl + Alt + V > V

54. How to change font format?
Ctrl + Shift + F

55. How to goal seek?
Alt + A + W + G

(get the answers 56-75 in the Cheat Sheet below)

🔵 Underrated

76. How to move to the next open workbook window?
Ctrl + F6

77. How to move to the previous open workbook window?
Ctrl + Shift + F6

78. How to insert current date and time?
Ctrl + Shift + :

79. How to paste values & formatting only?
Ctrl + Alt + V > T

80. How to apply or remove cell wrap?
Alt + H + W

(get the answers 81-100 in the Cheat Sheet below)

📥 Get the full HD cheatsheet for free: https://lnkd.in/dXhJ4HvF

🔁 Repost to help your team get faster in Excel

💬 Which shortcut do you use most? Drop it below

Steal my Audit Checklist (Excel Template)
👉 Download yours for free here: https://lnkd.in/dFWf3YRA

I have prepared an Excel Checklist to help you in your audit preparation

Use this checklist to get ready for your next audit

If you are a CFO, a controller, an accountant, or a Finance manager, this checklist is for you.

What is inside the Excel file?

19 tabs comprising the following checklists:

1. Overview Checklist (in the picture below)
2. Financial Statements Preparation
3. Account Reconciliation and Analysis
4. Documentation and Record Keeping
5. Internal Controls and Compliance
6. Risk Management
7. Tax Review and Planning
8. Inventory Management
9. Fixed Assets and Capital Expenditures
10. Investments and Other Financial Assets
11. Employee Benefits and Pensions
12. ESG Compliance
13. Technology and Data
14. Review of New Accounting Policies
15. Related Party Transactions
16. Subsequent Events and Contingencies
17. Sustainability and Continuity Planning
18. Communication with Auditors
19. Final Review and Reporting

👉 Don't forget to download it for free here: https://lnkd.in/dFWf3YRA

If you need any other template, let me know in the comments

CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, CMO, and CRO

👉 Download my top 100 KPIs here: https://lnkd.in/edvvYTJc

They sound impressive
but what do they actually do?

I broke it down in one visual below

Here’s a sneak peek at what each role owns
As well as the first 5 rows of the comparison

See the full comparison in the image below

1. CEO → Strategy, growth, vision, investors, expansion
CEO leads the company
CEO drives strategy, growth, and innovation
CEO represents the company to stakeholders & is the public face
CEO sets corporate values
CEO drives global expansion

2. CFO → Financials, performance, risk, profitability
CFO manages finances
CFO ensures stability and establishes discipline
CFO reports financials to the board and shareholders
CFO sets financial benchmarks
CFO optimizes existing markets

3. COO → Daily ops, resource planning, execution
COO oversees daily operations
COO implements the strategic initiatives
COO coordinates departments for smooth execution
COO aligns operational processes with said values
COO manages operational aspects of market penetration

4. CIO → Tech stack, security, data
CIO defines & leads the company's tech strategy
CIO oversees IT infrastructure and systems
CIO ensures technology aligns with business goals
CIO manages cybersecurity and data protection policies
CIO establishes IT Governance & IT Budget (CAPEX, OPEX)

5. CMO → Brand, demand gen, customer journey, messaging
CMO leads marketing strategy & brand position
CMO drives brand awareness & customer acquisition
CMO represents the brand across channels and media
CMO sets brand voice and messaging tone
CMO plans market penetration campaigns

6. CRO → Revenue growth, monetization, customer value, sales performance
CRO drives revenue growth
CRO monetizes strategic initiatives
CRO reports revenue metrics to the board & stakeholders
CRO sets revenue targets & quotas
CRO crafts revenue models for market penetration

This visual will give you instant clarity on who does what at the top

Also, get your copy of the Top 100 KPIs here: https://lnkd.in/edvvYTJc

🔁 Repost to help your network understand the C-suite

Free AI for Finance Course

👉 Download my 100 Prompt Tips PDF: https://lnkd.in/dZ4WKBvS

Save 1000s of dollars with this free course

Bookmark this and follow the curriculum below
+ TONS of FREE RESOURCES at the end!

You want to learn AI for Finance?
I have built and curated a free finance course for you

15 free lessons to make you more knowledgeable than 90% of the finance professionals in using AI

🙏 Help me spread this free course: like, share and comment!

Leverage AI to boost your career
and become irreplaceable

1. AI for Finance Fundamentals Email Course - https://lnkd.in/gFbWBDQ9

2. Prompting & Data-prep - https://lnkd.in/gtz7Bd78 & https://lnkd.in/gC8MqVG7

3. AI Roadmap for Finance team - https://lnkd.in/gK7svud4

4. Generative AI for managers - https://lnkd.in/g_EAYwv8 

5. ChatGPT vs Copilot vs Gemini - https://lnkd.in/gd-8ysiv

6. Top 100 ChatGPT Tips - https://lnkd.in/gX2sekmf

7. Top 100 AI Finance Tools - https://lnkd.in/gvKvkbvA

8. ChatGPT for Finance - https://lnkd.in/grBz2tGv

9. ChatGPT Image Generation for finance - https://lnkd.in/g55D5PtP

10. 30 Ways ChatGPT Helps Finance - https://lnkd.in/gwJ5CKXx

11. 28 Ways to use ChatGPT in Finance - https://lnkd.in/gV8FV82e

12. 6 AI Use Cases for Finance (real ones) - https://lnkd.in/g4wbFW7Q

13. 3 Ways to automate your work with AI - https://lnkd.in/gwUqv83G

14. Save 1 hr per day with ChatGPT - https://lnkd.in/gGdsC-Vr

15. The fast close playbook - https://lnkd.in/gniqwtju

- - -

Here are my bonus resources for you:

My Ultimate Finance Cheatsheet 2025
👉 https://lnkd.in/dxRatm2A

Top 10 Free Finance Resources
👉 https://lnkd.in/d9TA7bNu

Ultimate Finance Resources
👉 https://lnkd.in/dnfrN6R8

🙏 Help me spread this free course: like, share, and comment!

🔁 Repost to help more finance professionals
start using AI in their daily workflow

Atomic Habits for Finance
👉 Download my 48 Laws of Power applied to Finance: https://lnkd.in/edgY7bWe

What if the real difference between an average finance team
and a world-class one wasn’t talent… but habits?

Most teams try to “work harder” during closing, forecasting, or budgeting.
But the truth?

Finance improves in the same way individuals do
through tiny, consistent behaviors that compound over time

That’s why I built this cheat sheet: to translate Atomic Habits into Finance habits you can start today

Here’s what’s inside:

1. How Atomic Habits actually work
Identity, systems, and tiny gains matter more than intensity.
A finance team that sees itself as reliable and data-driven behaves differently.

2. The 4 Laws applied to Finance
#1: Cue – Make it obvious
– Clear dashboards
– Daily stand-ups
– Simple finance scorecards
– Habit stacking during closures and POs

#2: Craving – Make it attractive
– Temptation bundling (variance analysis + coffee)
– Social groups that celebrate clean and on-time data
– “Forecast accuracy leaderboard” for business units
– Motivation rituals in meetings

#3: Response – Make it easy
– Smaller, more frequent forecasting cycles
– Pre-built templates for P&L, variance, board packs
– Standard naming conventions
– The 2-minute rule: if it takes <2 minutes, do it now

#4: Reward – Make it satisfying
– Show reduced cycle times and error drops
– Visible payoff dashboards
– Track on-time submissions & forecast accuracy trends
– Reward behaviors that stick

1% daily improvement
A finance team improving 1% per day becomes 37× better after one year
Tiny process improvements beat massive transformation projects

How to break bad habits
– Make them invisible (remove distractions)
– Make them unattractive (highlight cost of errors)
– Make them difficult (add friction to bad habits)
– Make them unsatisfying (reinforce consequences)

Finance excellence isn’t built in Q4 but it’s built in the daily routines you repeat all year

💬 Which habit are you implementing first?

🔁 Repost to help more finance teams improve 1% every day

👉 Download my 48 Laws of Power applied to Finance: https://lnkd.in/edgY7bWe

100 Prompt Tips
👉 Download the PDF here: https://lnkd.in/dzTqfSjX

Stop writing prompts that confuse AI instead start using ones that compound your results
Most people don’t have a prompt problem

They have a framework problem
Here’s what this visual makes painfully clear:

Clarity > Cleverness
Structure > Guessing
Process > Randomness

The image breaks down 100 prompt tips into 4 categories:

FRAMEWORKS
Tools like CBI-FBI, AIDA, CARE, STAR, SWOT, PESTLE and more that turn vague ideas into precise instructions

DATA TIPS
How to extract tables, convert data, build dashboards, clean datasets and automate insights with
ChatGPT

HACKS + PROMPT ENGINEERING
Templates, constraints, version control, chunking, clarifying questions - all to get higher-quality outputs

FINANCE + PROCESS
Ready-to-use scripts for P&Ls, FP&A workflows, scenario modeling, investor updates and reporting automation

Here’s the real takeaway:

If you learn even 5 of these frameworks, your output improves instantly

Not because AI gets smarter
But because you stop asking messy questions

Want the PDF version of this post?

👉 Download it here: https://lnkd.in/dzTqfSjX

🔁 Repost to help your team get better at prompting

Top 50 Finance KPIs
👉Download it in HD now: https://lnkd.in/d5F8bv2m

Includes explanations and formulas!

You see a lot of KPI lists, but they miss something:
1) These lists do not explain the goal of the KPI
2) These lists do not give you the KPI formula

In this Cheat Sheet, you get both!
Because a KPI is not helpful without explanation and without a formula...

Take it as a catalog from which you can pick 3 to 4 key KPIs.

I like to take 4 KPIs to make a 4-quadrant dashboard.

The standard quadrant I would recommend?

This one:

1. Revenue Growth
2. Net Profit Margin
3. Operating Cash Flow
4. Employee engagement

What would be yours?

You can pick from the 50 following KPIs:

🧾 Accounting KPIs:
1. Debt-to-Equity Ratio
2. Invoice Processing Time
3. Working Capital Ratio
4. Net Profit Margin
5. Return on Equity
6. Gross Profit Margin
7. Accounts Receivable Turnover
8. Fixed Asset Turnover
9. Accounts Payable Turnover
10. Inventory Turnover

💰 Cash KPIs:
11. Operating Cash Flow
12. Days Payables Outstanding
13. Average Days Delinquent
14. Days Sales Outstanding
15. Days of Inventory Outstanding
16. Cash Burn Rate
17. Free Cash Flow
18. Cash Conversion Cycle
19. Cash Reserves in Days
20. Overdues Ratio

👨‍💼 CEO KPIs:
21. Revenue Growth
22. Market Share
23. Employee Productivity
24. Innovation Index
25. Brand Equity
26. Market Expansion
27. Sustainability Metrics
28. Employee Engagement
29. Employee Turnover
30. Cash Flow

🖥 SaaS KPIs:
31. Lifetime Value
32. SaaS Quick Ratio
33. New Buyer Growth Rate
34. ARR Per FTE
35. Customer Churn Rate
36. Runway
37. Customer Acquisition Costs
38. Monthly Recurring Revenue
39. Average Revenue Per User
40. Total Addressable Market

💼 Investors KPIs:
41. Earnings per Share
42. Quick Ratio
43. Dividend Payout Ratio
44. Current Ratio
45. Return on Investment
46. Share Buyback Ratio
47. Price-to-Earnings Ratio
48. Gross Margin Ratio
49. Dividend Yield
50. Net Promoter Score

👉Download it in HD now: https://lnkd.in/d5F8bv2m

My 25 Hidden Excel Shortcuts
👉 Get my full 100 Excel Shortcuts PDF: https://lnkd.in/deaTy2Xs


I made a list of 25 underrated Excel shortcuts that can save you hours
(and impress your colleagues)

I bet you don't know at least half of them

Excel Shortcuts List:

1. Move to the next open workbook window: Ctrl + F6

2. Move to the previous open workbook window: Ctrl + Shift + F6

3. Insert current time: Ctrl + Shift + :

4. Paste values & formatting only: Ctrl + Alt + V > T

5. Apply or remove cell wrap: Alt + H + W

6. Clear all formats: Alt + H + E + F

7. Insert a line break in a cell: Alt + Enter

8. Insert a new comment in a cell: Shift + F2

9. Open cell options menu: Shift + F10

10. Paste special - transpose: Ctrl + Alt + V > E

11. Insert sparkline from selected data: Alt + N + SL / SW / SO

12. Enter full-screen mode: Ctrl + Shift + F1

13. Record a macro: Alt + F8

14. Open the Visual Basic editor: Alt + F11

15. Autofit column height: Alt + H + O + A

16. Hide a sheet: Alt + H + O + U + S

17. Unhide a sheet: Alt + H + O + U + H

18. Insert slicers: Alt + N + SF

19. Apply or remove strikethrough: Ctrl + 5

20. Expand or collapse the formula bar: Ctrl + Shift + U

21. Collapse sheet outline: Alt + A + H / J

22. Create names from selection: Ctrl + Shift + F3

23. Insert new worksheet: Shift + F11

24. Select an entire row: Shift + Space

25. Select an entire column: Ctrl + Space


👉 Interested in more Excel shortcuts? Get them all here: https://lnkd.in/deaTy2Xs


What’s your go-to Excel shortcut?

CEO vs CFO vs COO KPIs
👉 Download my Top 100 KPIs here: https://lnkd.in/dgwVdfEM

📊 CEO KPIs
1. Revenue Growth
(Current period revenue - Previous period revenue) / Previous period revenue

2. Gross Profit Margin
(Revenue - Cost of Goods Sold) / Revenue

3. Net Profit Margin
Net Income / Revenue

4. Return on Investment (ROI)
Net Income / Investment Cost

5. Earnings per Share (EPS)
(Net Income - Preferred Dividends) / Average Outstanding Shares

6. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
(Marketing + Sales Costs) / New Customers Acquired

7. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
(Average Revenue per Customer × Average Customer Lifespan) / CAC

8. Employee Engagement
Measures employee satisfaction and engagement using surveys or performance reviews

9. Employee Turnover
Number of Employees Who Left During the Period / Average Number of Employees

10. Net Promoter Score (NPS)
% Promoters - % Detractors

---

📉 CFO KPIs
1. EBITDA
Net Income + Interest + Taxes + Depreciation + Amortization

2. Return on Equity (ROE)
Net Income / Shareholders’ Equity

3. Working Capital Ratio
Current Assets / Current Liabilities

4. Debt-to-Equity Ratio
Total Debt / Total Equity

5. Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC)
Days Sales Outstanding + Days Inventory
Outstanding - Days Payable Outstanding

6. Debt Service Coverage Ratio
Net Operating Income / Total Debt Service

7. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net Income / Total Assets

8. Inventory Turnover
Cost of Goods Sold / Average Inventory

9. Quick Ratio
(Current Assets - Inventories) / Current Liabilities

10. Cash Flow
Operating Cash Flow + Investing Cash Flow + Financing Cash Flow

---

⚙️ COO KPIs
1. Project Efficiency
Actual Project Cost / Planned Project Cost

2. Productivity of Staff
Total Output (unit or value) / Total Number of Employees

3. Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
Image is wrong (will be corrected in next post).
It should be Unit sold x Standard Cost

4. Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
Availability × Performance × Quality

5. Operational Efficiency
Total Output / Total Input

6. Customer Satisfaction
Number of Satisfied Customers / Total Number of Customers

7. Time to Market
Number of Orders Delivered on or Before Promised Delivery Date / Total Number of Orders

8. Quality Index
Defects / Total Units Produced

9. Capacity Utilization
Actual Output / Potential Output

10. Safety Incident Rate
(Number of Incidents × 200,000) / Total Hours Worked

👉 Get my Top 100 KPIs here: https://lnkd.in/dgwVdfEM

🔁 Repost if this gave you a clearer view into the C-suite mindset

Your team’s output became 10x bigger
That means as a manager your review 10x also!

👉 Enroll in my free AI course now: https://lnkd.in/dNNPzeMX

Reviewing AI work is much easier when you master the fundamentals first
Click on the link above ☝️

AI Broke Your Review Process
It created a massive "Transparency Gap."

Every week, I see the same situation: Your juniors can now produce 10x more output. But more output does not mean better work.

You are left with a pile of deliverables you can't trust because you are starting your review from zero.

You don't know:
• What was AI-generated vs. manual analysis?
• Which parts were reviewed vs. just accepted?
• What context they gave the AI?

The Reality?

You spend your entire Friday trying to figure out
which parts are accurate and which parts are AI guesses

The Solution: The Crystal Method

We built this system to fix the bottleneck. It makes review faster, not slower
It answers three questions for every piece of work:

1️⃣ What did AI do? (Which parts were generated vs. manual)
2️⃣ How was it done? (Which tool, which prompt, what context)
3️⃣ What was verified? (What the human checked vs. accepted)

That’s it. Three answers, massive clarity

The shift? From "Did they do the work?"
to "How did they do the work?"

From "Redo the maths" to "Check the method"

If you lead a team using AI, follow the implementation roadmap in the infographic:
1. Build Awareness: Discuss where AI helps and where it creates problems
2. Define Scope: Use the Golden Rule (Use AI to generate, not calculate)
3. Standardize: Define the tool, model, and verification checklist
4. Create Reusable Tools: Stop copying prompts; start building custom GPTs
5. Full Automation: Only do this when steps 1-4 are solid

Your team is using AI whether you train them or not
Take 60 minutes this week to ensure that usage is clear & transparent

Reviewing AI work is much easier when you master the fundamentals first

👉 Learn the AI Finance Fundamentals here with my free AI course: https://lnkd.in/dNNPzeMX

ChatGPT 5.2 ≠ ChatGPT 5.1 (especially on Thinking)

📥 Download my 100 ChatGPT Tips: https://lnkd.in/djxgz65s

You got a bad AI answer? You used the wrong “brain”

Most finance pros treat every model the same…
then wonder why the output is:
confident but wrong
messy when you need a clean table
inconsistent halfway through a long analysis

Here are the key differences:

Hallucinations
5.2: hallucination rate reduced to 6.2% + errors ~30% less common + improved reliability for professional use
5.1: hallucination rate 8.8% + more errors with longer/complex reasoning + accuracy can decline in research/citation-heavy tasks

Long-context memory & consistency
5.2: retains info ~100% consistently + far fewer memory drops + better for long, multi-source work
5.1: would forget earlier details mid-conversation + frequent re-prompting needed + not ideal for long, multi-source work

Vision accuracy (screenshots, UI, diagrams)
5.2: stronger visual understanding + more accurate at reading screenshots/charts/UI layouts
5.1: vision works, limited UI detail + less reliable for screenshots/app interfaces

Structured output (slides, sheets, apps)
5.2: more polished layouts + ready-to-use slide decks/sheets
5.1: can generate slides & sheets + often needs heavy manual cleanup

Thinking time vs answer quality
5.2: thinking mode can run much longer + longer thinking correlates with better correctness
5.1: auto mode favors speed + thinking helps, but depth is limited

Quick summary:
5.2 = A Serious Analyst (deep reasoning, professional output, long & complex tasks)
5.1 = A Smart Assistant (faster, conversational, everyday tasks, personalized tone)

Here’s my simple rule:

ChatGPT 5.1 = the fast assistant
I use it for quick drafts, short questions, and everyday tasks

ChatGPT 5.2 = the serious analyst
I use it when accuracy matters: long-context work, screenshots/UI interpretation, structured outputs

Using the right model for your needs is also another way to save time

👉 Which one have you used today: 5.1 or 5.2?

Stop Buying New AI Tools

👉 Download my 30-Day AI finance playbook: https://lnkd.in/dw5DQkaD
(To learn how to train your finance team on AI)

You're probably paying for 3 AI tools, and using none of them well

Your junior analyst is on ChatGPT
Your FP&A manager swears by Claude
Your director is experimenting with Gemini

Meanwhile, you're stuck wondering:
Which AI tool should we standardize on?

Here’s the real problem →
You're not choosing based on what works for the team
You're choosing based on what feels newest or most hyped

Let’s fix that

The Real Problems

Problem 1: You're Paying Twice (or 3x)
• Teams buy Copilot or Gemini licenses
• But still expense ChatGPT Plus
• That’s $2,400/year wasted on duplicate tools

Check your license here:

For Copilot:

Problem 2: Nobody Can Collaborate
• Each AI tool keeps prompts and knowledge siloed
• When someone leaves, their context goes with them

Problem 3: Analysis Paralysis
• 10 minutes wasted just deciding which tool to open
• 3 tools = 3x the time to find one answer

The Smarter Approach: Go Ecosystem-First

Instead of asking “Which AI is best?”, ask:
“What ecosystem are we already in?”

If you're already on:
• Microsoft 365 → Use Copilot
• Google Workspace → Use Gemini

Why this works better:

Security as Standard
• Enterprise-grade data protection
• No personal account sharing
• Audit trails + IT-managed access

Team Collaboration
• Everyone shares prompts and files
• Conversation history is retained
• Knowledge builds over time

Seamless Integration
• Copilot and Gemini access your OneDrive or Google Drive
• No manual uploads or copy-paste
• AI works where your team already works

But What About Advanced Features?

Copilot (GPT-5.2) and Gemini (Gemini 1.5) now support:
• “Thinking mode”
• Slide generation
• Report summaries

And they run on the same foundational models
But directly embedded in your workflow

Follow the 80/20 Rule
80% of work = Ecosystem AI
• Emails, summaries, lookups, reports

20% of work = Specialist AI
• Deep modeling, creative ideation, scratch generation

Your Move (This Week):
1. Open your Microsoft or Google admin panel
2. See what you’re already paying for
3. Pick one ecosystem AI tool for your team

Chances are, you already own what you need
✓ No more tool debates
✓ No more triple testing
✓ No more wasted budget

👉 Learn how to train your finance team on AI in 30 days: https://lnkd.in/dw5DQkaD

The future-ready finance team isn’t chasing the “best AI”

It’s aligning around the one AI mindset that just works

🔁 Repost to help more finance professionals use AI together better

Prompting 101 Cheatsheet
👉 Enroll in my free AI course: https://lnkd.in/dgFNrHuC

A CFO preparing a cost-reduction plan types one line into ChatGPT
The answer sounds smart but it’s useless for the board deck

For CFOs, FP&A and finance leads, vague prompts are expensive
They waste time, hide risks, and make AI look like a toy instead of a strategic partner

I have turned this prompting system into a one-page cheat sheet you can hand to your whole team

It’s the same structure I use when training 5,000+ finance professionals and inside my 1,500+ member AI Finance Club

Here’s what’s inside:
1. What a “prompting technique” actually is
→ Why a precise, well-structured prompt beats a vague question every time.

2. The CSI framework (Context-Specific-Instruction)
→ How to brief AI like a colleague, not a search bar, with a cost-reduction example for a mid-size European company.

3. The FBI add-on (Format-Blueprint-Identity)
→ Turn generic text into board-ready tables, tuned to your tone, industry, and role.

4. The CSI + FBI combo prompt
→ A full example you can paste into ChatGPT to design a structured cost-saving plan with realistic initiatives

5. Chunking technique for complex analyses
→ Break big asks (like an acquisition assessment) into safe, controllable steps the model can actually handle

6. Six-step acquisition prompt chain
→ From “you are an expert financial analyst” to a concise go/no-go summary for your board without leaking sensitive details

7. Guardrails for sensitive data
→ A reminder to keep confidential numbers inside secure enterprise AI accounts only

When your prompts mirror how you brief a senior finance colleague
context, structure, and clear roles

AI finally delivers outputs you can take to the board

👉 Free AI for Finance Beginner Email course here: https://lnkd.in/dgFNrHuC

Where I will talk more about the CSI-FBI Framework for writing perfect AI prompts

Repost to help your team work faster

Which point will you try first?

How CFOs use GenAI to cut costs
👉 Enroll in my free AI Course: https://lnkd.in/ggmMizQk

Cost programs don’t fail from lack of ideas
They fail due to lack of structure

Most teams know what could be cut
Very few can rank it, size it, and turn it into an executable plan fast
So instead of starting with blank slides, you start with a structured first draft, then validate it with your data

Here’s what’s inside:
1. The exact prompt I use (copy/paste):
I am the CFO of a manufacturing company

I need to come up with a cost-saving plan

Create a detailed plan for me and my team

The plan should do a table first and then a project plan detailing the top 10 low-hanging fruits and the exact plan to enable them

Write this like the best cost-cutting consultant with super practical and pragmatic approach and bring some innovative ideas

2. Result you will get under 30 seconds
Top low-hanging-fruit initiatives ranked by impact vs effort
Savings ranges benchmarked to EU manufacturing peers
Named roles, KPIs, timelines, and risk mitigations
Tool recommendations (Power BI, e-sourcing, low-code apps, SaaS AI)
Governance cadence and kick-off checklist ready to paste into your deck

3. The keywords that steer the output:
“Table first”
“Exact plan”
“Innovative ideas”
“Practical & pragmatic”

4. Example of a pragmatic mini action plan (this is the level of detail):
Reverse-Auction for Tier-B Materials
Scope: 180 SKUs (fasteners, packaging, secondary alloys) worth €8M p.a.
Owner: Strategic Sourcing Lead

Steps
Cleanse spend data & spec sheets (June)
Bundle SKUs into 4 lots to boost volume leverage (July)
Invite >6 qualified suppliers; supply sample for QA (Aug)
Run 45-min online auction (Sept)
Dual-source top lot to keep pressure (Oct)

Quick win
Pilot 1 lot (€1M) first—often lands ~5% saving within 30 days

Contract guardrails
Index-linked price bands, dual-source clause, quarterly rebates

5. Why this is powerful for you
Instant knowledge synthesis — thousands of best practices, one coherent plan
Iterative co-creation — stress-test ideas and refine in minutes
Cost-free first draft — consultant-grade structure without the day rate
Scalable expertise — pivot from opex to capex, WC, or board-ready scripts fast

6. How to get more value from the LLM:
#1 Be specific in the ask — format, depth, tone (“table first, then plan”)
#2 Provide context — industry, size, constraints
#3 Challenge & iterate — “stress-test initiative #5”
#4 Validate with data — model it before executing
#5 Blend human + AI — AI drafts, humans judge feasibility and drive change

GenAI won’t run your cost program
But it can compress week 1 into minute 1 so your team spends time deciding, not drafting

👇 Master the fundamentals of AI for Finance here: https://lnkd.in/ggmMizQk

Which initiative would you stress-test first?

Anders Liu-Lindberg

Business Partnering Institute (BPI)

As the author of Communicating Financials to Executives, I empower finance professionals to bridge the gap between financial reporting and executive decision-making.

The book offers a structured, practical guide for CFOs, FP&A teams, and finance business partners to communicate financials with clarity, context, and impact. It’s not about dumbing down the numbers; it’s about elevating the conversation so that financial insights drive real business decisions.

Core Concepts Covered:

- A 5-step framework for turning raw data into executive-ready insights, messages, and actions.

- Audience-first communication that speaks the language of decision-makers.

- Framing financials in a business context, highlighting risks, opportunities, and trade-offs.

- Structuring and simplifying complex information without losing substance.

- Using visuals and storytelling to make data engaging and memorable.

- Crafting impactful reports and presentations that inform, influence, and accelerate decisions.

Whether you're preparing a board pack, presenting monthly results, or enabling strategic planning, this book helps you become a trusted advisor, not just a reporter of numbers.

Author of Communicating Financials to Executives

Imagine you've stumbled upon a complex problem. It's a problem that's affecting millions of people across the world. At the time, no one has been successful in solving the problem, and as time passes more and more people's careers are being impacted. That's how I feel about business partnering.

All finance and accounting professionals face a choice. Evolve or be automated. Business partnering is one of those evolutionary paths that these professionals can take. However, despite being a desirable path for more than two decades only a few have found the way and made it to the other side. Most are still on the journey and are having a hard time making it.

This is why we have founded Business Partnering Institute and why I have made it my mission to help these millions of people find their way. In my role as Chief Commercial Officer, I'm responsible for creating awareness around what business partnering is and how you become good at it. In doing that I'm making the connection between companies and individuals who are looking for guidance and how BPI can help them.

As a former business partner myself, I have been on the journey and know all about the struggles that others are facing. That's why I and the team at BPI are ideally suited for helping finance teams across the world elevate their influence in the company through business partnering. We can help you too. Just send a message and let's get the conversation started.

Partner | Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)

We've founded the Business Partnering Institute because we want to crack the code on Business Partnering and unlock the value potential hidden in finance functions around the world. By helping them adopt a business partner mindset they'll instantly move closer to the business and start Creating Value Together.

At BPI we want to be the catalyst for change in Finance and help individuals and organisations to change in a digital world where the finance function of tomorrow looks very different from that of yesterday!

We focus on three core areas being Training & Advisory, The Business Partnering Round Table and an online Business Partnering Community. You can read more about each of the three areas at www.businesspartneringinstitute.org.

At the Business Partnering Institute my main focus is to grow the online community and in particular, the Finance Business Partner Forum which is the largest online Business Partnering Community in the world with close to 5,000 members. You can join the forum here https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8475765. In the forum thought leaders will share relevant content and new articles about Business Partnering and the changes happening all around the finance function. Everyone can join in the discussion and ask questions directly to the leadning thinkers in Business Partnering. What are you waiting for? Join today!

Co-Founder

Here's the most comprehensive piece ever written on how to become a successful finance business partner and how to implement the concept in your company. Moreover, we describe how being a finance business partner is just as much a mindset for the whole finance function as it is a specific role.

In essence, it's about knowing your business and how to create partnerships with your stakeholders/internal customers by always having the customer's needs left, front and center of everything you do.

Finance is not here to do Finance but to support the business create value or even create value on its own. Without value creation, neither you, your finance function nor your company will go anywhere.

You can buy the book here www.financebusinesspartner.dk [Currently only available in Danish).

Co Author of the book "Create Value as a Finance Business Partner"

Imagine you could work with something that you're immensely passionate about and fulfill your purpose. What would that be? To me, it's helping finance professionals across the world becoming better business partners. That's exactly what I can do at the Business Partnering Institute which I was part of founding in April 2018. 

Through learning and development programs we train finance professionals in the skills that are needed to succeed with business partnering. We also advise senior leaders in Finance to help them better understand how strong their teams are at business partnering. Lastly, we cover immediate needs through interim business partnering when you've received a critical resignation.

What's my role in all of this? As a partner, I deliver our services and am in charge of our research and networks service line where we release business partnering best practices every day. As a COO I make the company run from strategy to execution and drive us to achieve our goals. It's also my job to take the company from a start-up to a scale-up. As a CMO I do marketing when it comes to our point of view on business partnering as well as our product offering.

Our ultimate goal is to crack the code on successful business partnering and start creating some value together with you! If you want to join the journey and improve on business partnering then don't hesitate to reach out!

Partner | Chief Operating Officer (COO) | Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

As the CMO of the Business Partnering Institute, I'm in charge of all online marketing activities aiming at increasing brand awareness and placing the institute as the go-to company for training and advisory on business partnering. This includes lead generation and talking about business partnering with individuals and companies all around the world.
I'm also responsible for creating and publishing content that showcases the latest developments within business partnering and case studies of how individual companies are doing it.
Reach out to me if you'd like to learn more about our approach to business partnering and how we could potentially help you and your company.

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

LinkedIn

As a LinkedIn Learning instructor I create finance and accounting related content to the LinkedIn Learning platform. The content is routed in the thought leadership that we publish at Business Partnering Institute.

The first course is titled "Driving Business Impact for Finance Professionals".

LinkedIn Learning Instructor

LinkedIn is the world's largest networking site for business professionals. Since 2014, they have opened up their platform for the members to write content which they can share with other members.

I write about how the finance function is changing and what you as a finance professional or company can do to keep up with the changes. In addition, I write about personal branding, disruption, networking, leadership and other areas where I think I can add some insights.

I'm not a specialist, but I share my opinions and discuss them with other LinkedIn members.

Blogger

Linkedist

LinkedIn is the best marketing channel you haven't heard of yet! Most see it as a resume platform however there's a thriving content community on the platform and professionals go there for the latest news within their field. From companies to individuals this is a cannot miss opportunity to improve your employer or personal brand. Linkedist is your go-to company in the Nordics and Baltics for help unlocking this potential.

As advisory board member at Linkedist I help shape the strategy for the future and make real choices about where to play and how to win as a company. I use my experience from my own start-up and other advisory board roles to help the Linkedist team make the right choices. That and I get to further pursue my passion for how to best use LinkedIn as a platform!

Advisory Board Member

Profitability Analytics Center of Excellence

The Profitability Analytics Center of Excellence (PACE) is a non-profit community of professionals dedicated to helping organizations make better, more informed decisions through the use of data analytics employing integrated, causal models.  Focusing exclusively on how to enable better managerial decision-making within organizations through the use of such models, PACE is the go-to source for people looking for independent and impartial (vendor and methodology neutral) information in this area.

Board Member

Born Capital

The tides of change are flowing into the finance function which sends the function into the age of 4.0. We say it is "Enabled by tech - Driven by people". 

At Born Capital, we focus on tech enablement and are looking for early-stage startups in what we call #CFOTech that will enable the finance function to become a profit driver. We have a keen interest in FP&A and Business Finance as this is where we see the biggest improvement potential.

Actually, CFOs themselves know this as 71% of them are not happy with the performance of their FP&A team despite significant investments made in the past decade. We will help the office of the CFO get the right tech and tools to step up to the plate and deliver on the expectations of the CEO and other CXOs.

Feel free to reach out if you would like to know more about how we can help your start-up to the next level...

A.P. Moller - Maersk

8 months into my new senior finance business partner role I got an added scope. Now It's my job to drive value creation as a trusted partner for the trades from Asia to/from Middle East and Europe as well as Middle East to/from Europe. This scope makes up roughly 30% of Maersk's Ocean Business and a massive opportunity to create value!

My approach to business partnering is simple. 

Step 1: Go learn about how the business is doing. 
Step 2: Pair your newly acquired business understanding with your understanding of the numbers and present your view on the business. 
Step 3: Make recommendations for how to improve performance. 
Step 4: Follow-up on if the decisions made to improve performance yielded the expected results.

From here you repeat steps 3 and 4 and elevate your impact from an operational level, to tactical, and to a strategic level. This is my mission with my added scope as it was since I started my new role. Meet or beat targets and get a positive NPS score from my stakeholders. That's really all that counts!

Senior Finance Business Partner, EMEA (Europe & Middle East)

Business partnering is simple to understand but hard to do successfully. That's why I've decided to once again be a finance business partner at Maersk. I want to crack the code on successful business partnering and I hope that you want to help me! We need to collaborate on solving this challenge and it starts now. Connect with or follow me and let us create value together!

At Maersk, I'm a business partner to our largest product being the trade lane between Asia and Europe. I challenge the strategic direction setting and ensure we make the right choices about Where to Play and How to Win. It's my responsibility to answer the question "Are we Winning?". If we're not winning then I collaborate with my stakeholders to come up with actions that can improve performance. If we're winning I challenge them to deliver even better performance.

I measure myself on two success criteria: 1) are we achieving or overachieving on our targets and 2) do my stakeholders think that I made a positive contribution to that end. Nothing else matters.

Senior Finance Business Partner; Europe Trade Cluster

What would you do if someone offered you the opportunity to create a World-Class finance function? I decided to say "Challenge Accepted!" when offered this opportunity back in the Spring of 2017. With a purpose of helping the finance function become more involved with the business and drive value creation this role was ideally suited for me!

Now I work with providing strategic advice to our senior finance leaders in terms of how to develop our finance function at Maersk. I also help them execute on their strategic plans through overall program management and specific project support where needed.

I collaborate with The Hackett Group on understanding where we need to further develop the function and with top-tier consulting companies on some of our large-scale initiatives. One such initiative which I am particularly proud to have been part of is our Business Finance College. Probably the largest training program of its kind ever globally, we took 500 Finance Business Partners and leaders through a tailormade training program designed to make them better business partners and better leaders. We are aiming for a complete culture and mindset change with a winning aspiration to Drive Value Creation as a Trusted Partner.

We're not World-Class yet but we're not far off so watch out for the big fanfare when we reach this milestone!

Head of Global Finance PMO

Maersk Line is the world's largest container shipping company and operates a vast logistics network covering almost all countries in the world. Whether you need transportation from door to door, port to port or any other connection Maersk Line will get the job done for you.

I work as a Senior Finance Business Partner in the Europe Region where I help shape the finance function of the future in a global finance transformation project. We're moving almost all finance staff from the frontline to global service centers. Teams that only a handful of years ago consisted of several hundred people are now down to pure business finance teams supporting the front line. Consequently, the global service centers take end-to-end responsibility for processes and tasks and can make significant improvements the former teams could only dream about.

I work with defining what good finance business partnering looks like and how the remaining teams can accelerate their value adding activities. I help them implement the strategic direction set by top management and through performance management ensure that we reach Maersk Line's strategic goals.

In addition, I have been the project manager on a cost saving project where we several years running have saved upwards to USD 100M. I set the direction for the region and facilitate knowledge sharing sessions where operations managers come together to discuss how to come up with new savings ideas.

You should also read some of my articles on finance business partnering and how you can transform your finance function below.

Senior Finance Business Partner

Freelance writer at D!gitalist Magazine where I write about digital finance, finance transformation and the future of finance. 

Have a good story you want to publish? Reach out and let’s work on it together!

Freelance Writer

CFO innovation Asia

Contributing with articles about current developments in the finance function and in particular around how Finance can help the business add value.

Techstory.in

Jobindex A/S

Jobindex is the leading job site in Denmark where companies post their positions and enlist Jobindex to encourage candidates who have an active CV to apply for the positions.

I help people who are looking for a job refine their resume and cover letter and prepare pitches for interviews and have so far helped more than 10 candidates whereof several of them have found interesting jobs after receiving my guidance. My offer of assistance isn't limited to Jobindex as I generally try and help all job seekers out there getting closer to their dream job.

I have been recognized by https://www.topresume.com/ for having a resume ranking in top 4% of all resumes and I want to use that expertise to help you write a stellar resume too!

You can read some of my advice in below articles.

Job Search Coach

Leading advisor to senior Finance and FP&A leaders on how to succeed with business partnering

Tired of finance being stuck in reporting mode? Wondering how to make your finance team truly influence the business? Need to upgrade your planning, reporting, or business partnering model? You’re not alone, and we’re here to help.

📞 Let’s talk: anders@bpidk.org | +45 2926 6410

Who Am I?

I’m Anders Liu-Lindberg, Partner and CCO at Business Partnering Institute. I work with senior finance and FP&A leaders across Europe to elevate the role of finance. This means greater impact, stronger business partnerships, and more informed decisions through modern planning and reporting practices.

Formerly with Maersk, I’ve spent the last 10+ years bridging the gap between finance and business as a speaker, advisor, content creator, and interim leader. Whether it’s defining a new operating model, redesigning reporting, or leading from within, I bring both vision and execution to the table.

What We Do at Business Partnering Institute

We help companies build finance teams that matter, both inside and outside the room, at the table, and in the decisions. We’re hands-on, shoulder-to-shoulder, and always focused on real business outcomes.

Interim Finance Leadership
Step-in support for critical roles like VP Finance, Business Partner, or Controller, fast onboarding, and full ownership.

Consulting Projects
From planning & forecasting to reporting frameworks and service delivery models, we design, implement, and embed.

Learning & Upskilling
Tailored learning journeys that transform business partners into trusted advisors covering people, business, and leadership skills.

Why Reach Out?

Whether you're gearing up for the next budget cycle, scaling your finance team, or rethinking the role of business partnering, I’d love to hear where you’re headed.

We work across industries and company sizes, always tailoring our approach to your unique context. And we’re proud to see our clients succeed long after we’ve stepped away.

Let’s grab a coffee or set up a call. No pitch. Just a good conversation about finance with more impact.

📞 +45 2926 6410
✉️ anders@bpidk.org

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝟵𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻.
And executives lose attention in just 47 seconds.

We just released Chapter 2 of our new book "Communicating Financials to Executives," and it exposes the brutal disconnect.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗲:

Only 20% of finance professionals make actual recommendations in their presentations.

The other 80%? They're dumping data and hoping executives figure it out on their own.

Meanwhile, the average executive attention span has dropped from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to 47 seconds today. We're talking goldfish short!

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

Three fatal flaws kill every presentation:

• 𝗧𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀: Tables plastered with numbers. Every variance explained. Zero focus on what matters.

• 𝗡𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Random numbers in chronological order. Starting with financials instead of business issues. Completeness over importance.

• 𝗡𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The 99%-mindset paralyzes action. "They know best" becomes an excuse. Analysis without synthesis.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲:

The book follows Sarah, a Senior Financial Analyst at Solara Tech, as she transforms from data dumper to strategic advisor.

Her journey mirrors what thousands of finance professionals face daily.

Meetings that finish early.
Zero action on critical issues.
Standard reports nobody reads.

Sound familiar?

𝗠𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲?

Stop defending the details. Start driving decisions.

Know the numbers, but show the story.
Anticipate questions, but lead with insights.
Build credibility through clarity, not complexity.

Chapter 2 is yours free. It diagnoses the problem.

The full book? It delivers the solution.

𝗦𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁: How many of your last 10 presentations actually led to action?

Ready to change that?

Get your copy here: https://bit.ly/4h2P9AA

P.S. That finance team still starting presentations with variance tables? They lost their audience before slide 2.

----------

🧑‍💼 I'm a partner at Business Partnering Institute
🆘 Need immediate help in your finance team, call us!
🤝 We help increase the influence of your finance team
🔔 To see more content, hit the bell on my profile
🧑‍🎓 Enroll in our LinkedIn course: https://bit.ly/4a5fB9l
📻 #FinanceMaster podcast: https://bit.ly/3NLSt73
📺 Follow us on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4bSBut6
📢 Join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/3WWGOrc
📄 Check out all our templates and cheat sheets here: https://lnkd.in/eC_zuCU4

Leading advisor to senior Finance and FP&A leaders on creating impact through business partnering | Interim | VP Finance | Business Finance

Communicating Financials to Executives - Chapter 2

𝟭𝟯 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀.
𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗽 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

Looking at this framework, I'm reminded of a painful truth.

We've turned financial analysis into a checkbox exercise when it should be a strategic weapon.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗲:

Everyone starts with financial statements. Most stop at ratios.

They calculate liquidity ratios like robots.
Generate trend charts on autopilot.
Then wonder why their recommendations fall flat.

The real magic happens in steps most analysts rush through or skip entirely.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀:

Step 2 - Business Understanding - is where 80% of value lives.

You can't analyze what you don't understand. Yet I see analysts diving into numbers without knowing how the business actually makes money.

The other missed goldmine? Steps 10-13.

• 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Not just "improve working capital." Specific, actionable steps.

• 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: Storytelling, not spreadsheet dumping.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀: Where insights become influence.

• 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆: Because one-time analysis is like checking your health once a decade.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲:

The analysts who nail all 13 steps become indispensable.

They don't just spot problems. They connect dots others miss.

They benchmark against competitors AND understand why differences exist.

They turn cash flow analysis into strategic recommendations.

They present insights that change decisions, not just inform them.

𝗠𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲?

Print this framework. Circle the steps you're weakest at.

Those are your biggest opportunities.

Stop treating analysis as a monthly ritual. Make it a continuous conversation.

Stop hiding behind numbers. Start telling stories that drive action.

Because here's what separates great analysts from spreadsheet mechanics:

They understand the business before they analyze it.
They recommend specific actions, not generic advice.
They communicate insights, not just calculations.

𝗦𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁: Which of these 13 steps does your team skip?

More importantly, what insights are you missing because of it?

P.S. If your financial analysis doesn't lead to changed decisions, you're just doing expensive arithmetic.

----------

🧑‍💼 I'm a partner at Business Partnering Institute
🆘 Need immediate help in your finance team, call us!
🤝 We help increase the influence of your finance team
🔔 To see more content, hit the bell on my profile
📘 Order our new book now: https://bit.ly/4h2P9AA
🧑‍🎓 Enroll in our LinkedIn course: https://bit.ly/4a5fB9l
📻 #FinanceMaster podcast: https://bit.ly/3NLSt73
📺 Follow us on YouTube: https://bit.ly/4bSBut6
📢 Join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/3WWGOrc
📄 Check out all our templates and cheat sheets here: https://lnkd.in/eC_zuCU4

taplio

The Battle

Nicolas Boucher

Anders Liu-Lindberg

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreNicolas Boucher's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAnders Liu-Lindberg's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Nicolas Boucher

Anders Liu-Lindberg

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Nicolas Boucher's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreAnders Liu-Lindberg's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreNicolas Boucher's LinkedIn Performance