The C-Suite Coach | I help senior leaders thrive in their roles by optimising their performance, energy and time to enjoy their careers once more (you deserve it). Book your discovery call today.

Most senior executives are technically brilliant but invisible.

I help C-suite executives build the executive presence and influence to get recognised as visionary leaders.

Why does this matter?

Despite your contributions, you're not getting the recognition you deserve. 
You're stuck managing tasks instead of leading strategically. 
Your boss wants you to be "more strategic," but you can't see the path.

Worst of all?

You're overlooked while others with less competence move ahead.
The problem isn't your intelligence or work ethic. 

It's your executive presence.

My Background: I've Walked This Path

I've spent 20+ years at the C-suite level at Citi and currently as GM at a Blackstone portfolio company. 
I know what it takes to command respect and lead with influence because I'm living it right now.
I coach from the arena, not the sidelines- which means I understand your current pressures and can help you carry the load. I'm also a Communications Professor at IESE Business School and have spoken at 50+ conferences globally.

The Transformation

I help senior executives who feel invisible become recognised leaders who:

→ Communicate with influence, not just authority 
→ Get recognised and advance their careers 
→ Command respect without demanding it 
→ Inspire teams instead of micromanaging 
→ Focus on strategy, not stuck in tasks

My Approach

Unlike coaches who only ask questions, I provide practical solutions based on C-suite experience.
I combine emotional intelligence with accountability to turn problems into action.
No corporate BS or cookie-cutter frameworks.

My methodology builds:

• Masterful Communication & Executive Presence 
• Authentic Leadership Identity 
• Resilient Inner Core 
• Strategic Influence

I integrate insights from marathon running, meditation, and Stoic philosophy for sustainable performance.

Who I Work With

C-suite executives across all industries who are ready to build executive presence that advances their careers.

What Clients Say

"Peter is a brilliant coach. He is a great listener, truly cares and freely shares his wisdom." 
Nora Tandberg, CFO, Papirfly

"Peter's unique perspective is very effective in a business setting and brings a fresh perspective to solving contemporary challenges." 
Guy Nicholas Mansfield, CFO, C-Quest Capital

Ready to Elevate Your Leadership Impact?

Book your strategy call today.

Peter McKenzie

Last Thursday I went for a carefree evening walk with my wife.
After a truly horrendous day.

Notification of a tax inspection, a leaking shower (with furious neighbours downstairs) and a curt response from the boss on a tricky subject.

Financial loss, a long drawn out dispute and a mail that makes you question your self-worth.

A triple whammy of despair.

But I realised during the walk that none were spinning round in my head!

Something that 10 years ago would have had me ruminating for a week.

I had taken it in my stride.

I wasn’t going to let it ruin my night.

After years of dealing with massive crisis in my head that never happened, I have learned how to be resilient.

The number one trait that leaders need to get through hard times: 

Because the shorter the length of time it takes you to return to your baseline state after a setback, the better your final response will be.

And the quicker you can shrug things off and get back to work, the better a leader you are.

People may spend billions trying to stay young.
But resilience and wisdom only come with age.

And the realisation that imagined disaster outcomes are worse than the actual problems you face.

You'll never recover the wasted time catastrophising.

But you can learn that lesson before you get too old.

-------------------------------
PS How long does it take you to bounce back from a setback? 
Do you put things in perspective or blow them out of proportion?
--------------------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie 🕺

Try my FREE Executive Presence quiz here:
https://lnkd.in/dQEr7KYG

The C-Suite Coach | Elevating Executive Presence for Greater Leadership Impact | C-suite at Citi, currently GM at Anticipa - a Blackstone portfolio company | I coach from the arena, not the sidelines.

When IKIGAI goes badly wrong.
You finally discovered your deep purpose in life... 

But keep doing something else anyway.

Funny!

Or not?

So, how do you score?

I've made money - but not always at the things I'm best at.
 
And I spent plenty of time outside of the important blobs.

So what do I do now?  

And you?

Happy Friday, all!

(The answer can wait until Monday).

NB Kudos to the great Colby Kultgen for this sketch, which made me laugh out loud.  
.---------------------------------- 
I’m Peter McKenzie 🕺
🐟 Dead fish go with the flow.
🎸Rockstars challenge the status quo.

Sorry to tell you this: 
Your tough boss isn’t the root cause of your problems. 

Your response to them is. 

People complain when they work for a hard boss. 
And that applies to senior execs as well. 

Because the majority of CEOs aren’t easy people. 
(It’s often why they got the job!). 

The first time I had a tough CEO, I completely flunked the exam. 

I complained to anyone that would listen. 
Thought things were unfair. 

And the worst of all:

Passed the pressure onto my team. 

It changed the day my number 2 broke into tears in a team meeting.
I realised it wasn’t my boss, job or life that was unfair. 

It was me. 

Instead of absorbing the pressure, I was passing it down. 
A bad moment for her became a valuable one for me. 

I realised it was all a test. 

It was my job to shield my team – and prove my worth. 
Not whinge, whine and push my people to their limits. 

Years later, as a coach, I hear clients complain of the same. 

And things only shift when the story shifts. 
When they stop feeling sorry for themselves. 

And start doing their job. 

It’s exactly what happened to me. 

A tough CEO forces you to choose.
Either learn how to handle pressure. 

Or to turn into the very person you’re complaining about.

<<<>>>

PS Have you ever had a tough boss?
How did you react?

The long silence at the meeting table was unbearable.
I felt the need to step in. 

To say anything to break it.

I squirmed in my chair.
It felt like the deal was slipping from our grasp.
But my boss’s stern glance told me to keep my mouth shut.

He was one of the best bosses I had at Citi. 
He was never shy to speak up.
As regional Ops head, he had to drive results.
Which meant driving his team.

So why didn't he speak?

Because he was teaching us a lesson.
To me and those on the other side of the negotiating table.

It was so tense because there was a lot of money at stake. 
This particular relationship wasn't easy.

The silence became too much to bear.
So much that they caved in - and filled it. 
And their words revealed the details of what they were willing to offer.

That was exactly what we needed.

Priceless.

We had spoken the least - but gained the most.

I realised that my strategy of always talking and expressing my thoughts was just performance for my ego.

Instead of giving me power - my talking drained it.

Impact is knowing when to speak up,

And when to say nothing.

----------------------
PS When was one time you wish you had kept silent in a meeting?
Drop the details in the comments.
----------------------

I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Try my FREE Executive Presence quiz here:
https://lnkd.in/dQEr7KYG

As uncomfortable as it is being a spectator, it feels safer than risking looking stupid.

Or worse - proving that you’re not good enough.

But there are only two ways you’re perceived at work:

You’re either visible or invisible.
Important or irrelevant.
Powerful or powerless.

Your career’s going nowhere if you’re on the wrong side of that list.
Even if you work hard and do a great job.

Unfair?
 
It doesn’t matter.

That was what I said to an ex-colleague last Tuesday.
In a busy Barcelona cafe she stared back at me, letting that sink in.

She’s been HR head for 5 years at the Spanish branch of a multinational.

She's in the management team.
But never in the centre of the conversations that count.

She feels second class and overlooked.

Her boss constantly urges her to say what she thinks, even if it's not about HR.

But she admits it feels safer to watch and listen. 

Like an extra in a film, or a background figure in a videogame.

Unnoticed.

To earn points and win, you need to be the player.

Even losing is better than being irrelevant.

Her next game is her next meeting.
Her challenge is to grab the controls and play.

If you’re in the same game, it's your challenge too.

----------------------------------------
I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Dead fish go with the flow.
Rockstars challenge the status quo.

You have to burn down your past to create the future.

That’s what the Valencians do every year when they celebrate the Fallas.
 
They spend months creating elaborate effigies, like this magnificent Charlie Chaplin, all around the city.
 
Then on the 18th March - on the Nit de foc (night of fire) - they burn them to ashes.
 
Madness? 
Pyromania?
Or celebration?
 
I came to live in Valencia 38 years ago. 
I had burned my bridges to my corporate career with PWC in London to set up as a poor English teacher here. 

It was the best move of my life.
 
Eventually though I went back into corporate ( a man has to eat!) and in the 30 years since haven’t done enough burning.
 
It’s easy to think you’re building something that lasts.
 
But nothing can.
Or should.
 
The Valencians have got it right. 

You must burn the baggage from your past to create space.
 
38 years ago I was excited but unsure what I was doing.
 
This time , with the match in my hand, I know its the right move.
 
Which of your effigies do you need to torch?

The price of never risking offending anyone is never risking saying anything important.
Hedging your opinions with caveats is masking your fear.

“Maybe, perhaps, I think…”

Tics I’ve used because I was allergic to conflict.

I figured the best way to keep people onside is never to state a strong opinion.

And I was right.

But my impact was negligible.
One of my bosses, who used to work for Swiss Air, gave me some advice.

“Be like a pilot taxiing down the runway to take off. 
You can’t “sort of fly”. You either go full thrust or abort.  
That’s how it should be with your statements.”

In other words:

If you’re going to say something, go all in.

No caveats, no tics, no hedging.

It may not always be “nice” to have an opinion.
But who wants (or needs) nice...

State your opinion without fear.

Go full throttle. 

Just say it.
-----------------
When was the last time you spoke your mind? 
And when did you last decide to play it safe?
-----------------

I’m Peter McKenzie - The C-Suite Coach

Dead fish go with the flow.
Rockstars challenge the status quo.

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

90% of finance strategies fail for one simple reason

They look impressive

But they don’t change how decisions actually get made

That’s why I like the strategy house framework

It’s simple

And it’s the same structure used by firms like McKinsey & Company to turn strategy into execution

I’ve adapted it here for FP&A and finance leadership

Here’s how to read it.

1. Aspiration

This sits at the top of the house and answers one question

What financial future are we trying to build?

A clear direction for the finance function of the company

2. Vision & financial purpose

This is where strategy becomes concrete for finance

It translates ambition into a financial direction

What does success actually look like in numbers?
What trade-offs are we willing to make?
Where will we invest?

Without this layer, FP&A stays stuck explaining results instead of making them useful

3. Must-win financial battles

These are the few financial priorities that really move the business

Usually three or four and this is where finance becomes strategic

Because every priority means saying no to something else

If everything is a priority, nothing is

4. Strategic financial initiatives

This is where the real work happens:
- Rolling forecasts
- Pricing models
- Scenario planning
- Capex prioritization

Each initiative should clearly support a must-win battle

If it doesn’t connect to strategy, it has no business in your strategy

5. Enablers

These are the capabilities that make execution possible

Without this layer, your strategy stays in PowerPoint/Excel

Execution requires tools

6. Foundations

This is the base of the house

People, culture, governance, performance management...

It’s where finance earns its credibility

Because strategy only works when the organisation trusts the people behind them.

One final point that isn’t on the image:

Decisions

Strategy only matters if it changes decisions

That’s where FP&A creates real impact.


♻️ Repost if you think finance should help drive strategy
➕ Follow for more insights on how FP&A moves from reporting to influence

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...

Your words are killing your presence

12 ways to know if you’re doing it:

-----
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

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?

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 👇

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

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?

FP&A is rarely a straight jump into business partnering
Most people move through it step by step
𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 usually comes first

-----
And if you 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
-----

That phase is often underestimated, yet it is where credibility starts

If the numbers are consistent, on time, and trusted, people begin to rely on the team behind them

From there, the role naturally evolves into 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀

Instead of only showing what happened, finance begins to explain why it happened

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 changes the conversation again.

Once you work on forward views, finance is no longer describing the past

You are helping the business think about what comes next, what could go wrong, and what might create opportunity

Only after these steps does 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 really appear

At that point, finance is invited into discussions where choices are still open

Leaders ask for perspective, challenge assumptions, and test options before committing

This progression is also how I approach finance training with non-finance leaders

Starting with strategy or advisory roles rarely works

People connect first with things they already use in their day-to-day work

For some, that entry point is KPIs

For others it is operational drivers or scenario thinking

The path does not need to be rushed

Understanding one layer well creates the foundation for the next

Over time, the role becomes something much more valuable than producing reports

Finance becomes useful exactly when decisions are on the table

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

I've reviewed 100+ finance presentations

Most of them made the same mistake

They talked to everyone the same way

But your CFO and your department head don't want the same thing from you

Neither does your analyst

There are 3 levels of FP&A content
And each one speaks to a different audience

1. Strategic FP&A Content

High-level, directional
It's built for people who shape decisions and don't have the time
We talk about C-Suite, Board, and Investors
They don't want the logic behind your work but will rather focus on where the business is going

2. Tactical FP&A Content

Frameworks, trade-offs, prioritization
Here, VPs, Directors or Department Heads are the destination
They're trying to hit targets so they need content that helps them adjust

3. Operational FP&A Content

Templates, workflows, step-by-step
The ones like Managers, Analysts or Operational Teams
They need to run the business today

Each level matters

Operational content is not less important than strategic content
It just serves a different purpose.

The problems come when your teams only produce one level
...usually the one they're most comfortable with

That's why their audience tunes out

Make them match the level to the objective

Which level do you naturally ask them to default to?

Chasing AI use cases without a strategy will make your finance team less efficient than before AI
👉 Free webinar March 25 — join us: https://lnkd.in/eAKPvMFf

This week, I scrolled my feed and I saw that everywhere
- AI can automate your close
- AI will do the modelling for you
- AI will summarise your reports

The use cases are real and the tools work, that's not the problem

The problem is this:

If you just jump on every use case that comes your way, with no AI strategy, no governance, no thought for how tasks get redistributed or how any of this connects to actual business outcomes, you will end up more fragmented, more dependent, and less effective than before you started

Basically, the absence of intergration and thinking is the problem—

In 2026, we are at a crossroad:
- Either finance leaders will list their AI tools and small use cases
- Or they will be the ones asking:
→ Where does AI create value for the whole business?
→ How do we govern what AI decides but humans can't fully audit?
→ What happens to the tasks AI replaces (and who owns that transition)?
→ How do we connect finance efficiency to outcomes the CEO actually cares about?

These are strategic and leadership questions and most finance teams aren't asking them

That's exactly the conversation Lucanet is having on their webinar on March 25

Building Trust in Autonomous Finance: The AI Shift in 2026

I won't be another use case demo
It will be a real discussion on what it actually takes to let AI work

It's free, online and it only lasts 1 hour

If you want to efficiently use 1 hour in your week, 
👉 Register now on https://lnkd.in/eAKPvMFf

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

Yet 83% of finance professionals present to executives regularly

-----
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
-----

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)

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