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

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

Soufyan Hamid

January results

How unuseful is your budget already?

Systematizing Storytelling for Finance Teams | EMBA Lecturer | Keynote Speaker

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

For years, I built forecasts that looked impressive

But when someone asked me to explain our strategy?

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

That’s not strategy

Here’s what I missed:

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

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

Real strategy sounds like this:

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

This is a direction, a focus

The forecast that supports it:

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

See the difference?

Strategy is the wish you have
Forecasting is your execution loop

When I started with strategy first:

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

It's not easy to change your way of thinking 

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

A forecast is not a strategy

Can you explain your strategy without mentioning a single number?

If not, start there

Financial storytelling isn’t dashboarding

These are two completely different skills

Too many finance teams still mix them up

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

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

But storytelling starts long before you open PowerPoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Most finance teams think storytelling is about charts

But great storytelling is about influence and impact

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

This is where it starts

 Financial Storytelling is...

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

Your words are killing your presence

12 ways to know if you’re doing it:

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

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲:

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

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

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

but also on how confidently you deliver it

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

Which phrase are you eliminating first? 👇

12 Phrases Killing Your FP&A Presence

Every CFO I’ve worked with lived under pressure

Boards, markets, CEOs and Investors

And when pressure is high, behaviour changes

Simply because they can’t afford surprises

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

Change how you show up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s what real business partnering looks like

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

They’ll know exactly how to step up

7 W>ays to Handle a Stressed CFO

Most finance teams say they want to be strategic

But few define what that actually looks like

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

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

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

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

And what strong finance teams do instead:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 👇

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

The best organizations do both

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

Ignore one, and progress slows

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

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

💪 Self-Leadership
How you operate as a finance leader

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

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

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

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

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

👥 Team Leadership
How FP&A teams actually grow

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

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

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

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

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

📈 Enterprise Leadership
How finance builds systems that scale performance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://lnkd.in/efjM-SCd

Every serious FP&A issue starts small

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

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

Almost everyone has the technical ability, no question about that

What derails teams are small but key issues

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

On paper, that’s good news

But something structural often changes together with it

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

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

Gradually, FP&A becomes the operational center of gravity

The CFO remains accountable but no longer anchors the narrative daily

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

These signals are fixable when you spot them early 

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

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

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

Which of these signs have you seen most often?

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

8 Signs of a Dysfunctional FP&A Team

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?

I love to teach Finance to Non-Finance people ❤️

Why?

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

My bet has been to take the burden on us

"We must learn to talk business instead of finance"

And that stays true...

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

And that's why I love it 

Because, no matter what they tell you

Non-Finance people want to learn Finance

They're even excited about it

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

Because it's just like a car

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

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

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

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

... an dynamic one can

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

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

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

You're only limited by your own creativity

If you want my prompt, here it is

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

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

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

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)

Advance Your Finance/Data Career 📊 with English Communication Skills 📈 | Specialist English Communication Skills Coach

Do you work in a 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 or 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 role?

But feel your English communication skills aren't quite where you want them to be — especially in high-stakes situations?

Specifically, do you need to improve in any of the following areas...

◾ Delivering impactful 𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬/𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
◾ Making a meaningful impression in 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬.
◾ Taking 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 or providing direction to your team.
◾ Finding the way and structure to express yourself 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.
◾ Building stronger professional 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 with clients, stakeholders or colleagues.

Then you're not alone — and I can help.

Many of my clients are already 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠, but want to sharpen their edge in the impact they make with their communication skills or even their English fluency so they can:
➡ Communicate more effectively with clients, colleagues, or management
➡ Show up more confidently in high-level discussions
➡ Take the next step in their career

I post content regularly on LinkedIn for precisely these purposes.
Feel free to connect/follow and hit the 🔔 at the top of my profile to stay up to date.


🎯 I run tailored programmes for finance, data and commercial professionals.

Curious? Scroll down to see what my clients have to say for yourself 👇

🗝"Courses well prepared and thoroughly adapted to the Investment Banking environment."
— Felipe, Investment Banker

📈 "Focused on the speaking part of the day-to-day work in the Financial sector (i.e. explaining trends, describing graphs, widening my vocabulary and connectors, speaking with different types of clients, etc.)."
— Hugo, M&A Transaction Services

🗣 "The best part of this course is it's flexible according to the areas I need to improve. Now I am confidently speaking and presenting without any fear to groups."
— Rahul, FP&A


📧 If you are eager to improve, send me a DM so we can have a brief conversation over Zoom.
Or feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

We can discuss your current needs and goals. And I can advise you on a pathway forward to develop your communication skills in English.

📝 You can also check out my website for a more detailed breakdown: https://excelincommunication.crd.co/

A little about me:
🎵 Music lover — piano, guitar, drums, didgeridoo and beyond.
🔊 Avid believer that ideas and insights do nothing without the ability to communicate them
🌍 Language enthusiast — currently learning Spanish to make myself and some of my clients laugh (still have to get around to Arabic!).

Ryan Donaghy

You’re presenting insights or a proposal to senior stakeholders. 
But instead of engaging with your message…
They cut the discussion short or move on too quickly 🤔 

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝?

Executives have limited time. 
They’re rarely looking for a deep dive into your analysis
They are eager to know 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.

🗝 You probably gave too much detail and not enough direction.

**

You 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 to be in front of senior leaders. 
When you do, you’re shaping 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

Each interaction builds an expectation.

🖊 If your messages are focused, strategic, and actionable, they’ll see you as 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐬 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞—someone they want to hear from.

🖊 But if you overwhelm them with details or fail to make your insights relevant, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 next time.

**

For example, let’s say you’re in the middle of delivering a presentation in the following scenarios.

Let’s say, on the one hand, you just 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

And on the other hand, you tell them the 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 and 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

Check out the examples in the carousel below 👇


I’m curious — What steps do you take to create a better impression in your senior stakeholder meetings ❓

***

Hi, I’m Ryan 👋

If you work in finance, data or commercial roles and want to be more influential, I’d be happy to help. 📩

#ExcelinCommunication #CorporateFinance #InvestmentBanking #DataScience

Advance Your Career in Finance, Data, Commercial 📈 with English Communication Skills 🎙 | Meetings, Presentations & Interview Skills Coach

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