3 Traits You Need to be an Effective Finance Manager

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Being an effective finance manager is like being a game-winning quarterback. Success shines a disproportionate amount of light on your shoulders, as does failure.

And like a quarterback, a good manager understands the strengths and weaknesses of each member of his or her team and utilizes their skills accordingly. Effective finance managers build relationships and engender trust, while celebrating successes and learning from challenges. The best seem to share 3 specific traits.

Proper Casting

A great finance manager understands how to position each person for success by capitalizing on his or her strengths. By tailoring each person’s deliverables to their skill set and abilities, a strong finance manager creates buy-in to an organization’s vision. Fundamentally, the foundation of their management style is the belief that a productive, unified team is the cornerstone of any successful organization.

Relationship Builder

Effective finance managers build strong, cross-functional business relationships. They establish a culture of accessibility and manage from a posture of service. They have an innate ability to understand each person’s individual drivers and work with them. Whether it’s with their team, senior management or external partners, great finance managers build great relationships.

Model Behaviours

Exceptional finance managers model behaviours they want to see in their team. Whether it’s accuracy, time management or initiative, an effective manager models the traits that lead to success. They establish a culture of continuous improvement and they support their team when a mistake is made. Each day, they push themselves to be better.

Great finance managers understand the importance of building real relationships, modelling successful behaviours and capitalizing on their team member’s individual strengths. By doing so, they create an environment of support and ensure that their team believes in their leadership and the goals of the organization – a winning combination.