Financial Management (FM) magazine

Eric R. Alexander, CPA, president of advisory service company Six Arrows Consulting, discusses the lessons he's learned throughout his career in finance and what being a finance leader means for him, and other insights from his upcoming book, Stewardship Leadership for Stinkin' Accountants: Serving as the CFO. He shares key strategies for developing as a stewardship leader, including how he holds himself accountable, how he views his role as a trusted adviser for organisations, and the steps he has taken to improve in the relational and people aspects of the finance function. "I've been most effective in my work when I've functioned as a steward, meaning I understood things had been entrusted to me to be responsible for," he said. "I was accountable to people, and fundamentally, it was not all about me." What you'll learn from this episode: Why Alexander says the CFO role is not about you as a finance leader. Key elements of stewardship leadership. How to hold yourself accountable as a finance professional. Why getting into the finer details can complicate decision-making. What it means to own your results. Tips for enhancing people and soft skills.

Irena Teneva, an associate technical director at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, joins the FM podcast to share insights gathered from a new AICPA and CIMA report, Future Ready Finance: Productivity at the Human-Technology Crossroads. Teneva illustrates the types of tasks experiencing clear efficiency gains from artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, where finance leaders are more cautious about implementation, and steps those leaders are taking to expand how tools can be used. Teneva also highlights why productivity still hinges on finance talent, priority areas for skills development, and how finance leaders are collaborating across business functions. What you'll learn from this episode: Process and people priorities for finance leaders in 2026. Where AI implementation is leading to time savings for companies. Some steps leaders are taking to optimise and expand AI use. Why productivity is still a "people game". How finance leaders are approaching cross-business collaboration. Three key steps to improving efficiency, according to leaders.

The latest Future of Finance research from the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants reveals several key focus areas for finance and business leaders. Rebecca McCaffry, FCMA, CGMA, the Association's associate technical director, joined the FM podcast to discuss survey results, highlighting leaders' top transformation strategies, barriers facing organisations looking to upskill talent, and notable areas of progress in finance teams since a previous survey on the topic six years earlier. McCaffry also explains the interplay between people and process and one key preference that signals a "significant shift away" from organisations' workforce strategies in 2019. What you'll learn from this episode: Finance and business leaders' top priorities for transformation. Consistencies and shifts in focus from 2019 to 2025. The interplay between process and people priorities. Skills gap challenges and what risks they pose for organisations. Two points of progress since 2019. One key strategic area gaining traction and investment.

In celebration of CGMA Week, the FM podcast welcomed two CGMA designation holders who recently spoke at UK & Ireland ENGAGE to discuss the lessons they've learned throughout their careers, how their mindset has shifted over the years, and the advice they would give to finance professionals navigating opportunities in a challenging era defined by potential and uncertainty. Simon Ritchie, ACMA, CGMA, founder and CEO of Blox Software, and Olcay Yilmaz, FCMA, CGMA, finance director–Rail Infrastructure at Siemens, explain the importance of continuous learning in a time when knowledge has a faster expiration date for finance professionals. Ritchie and Yilmaz highlight the ways finance professionals can position emerging technologies as innovation drivers in the finance function and how to fully embrace those tools in their roles. CGMA Week is a global celebration designed to showcase the value, pride, and achievements associated with the CGMA designation. What you'll learn from this episode: How an early start in technology can prevent finance professionals from working "backwards". The importance of learning to love learning — and why it pays off. Key areas Yilmaz and Ritchie expect AI to optimise within the finance function. Strategies for harnessing structure and embracing change through uncertainty. Their advice for professionals preoccupied with career ladders and titles. Tips for professionals struggling to map their learning and growth journeys.

The latest episode of the podcast provides an overview of content in the October digital edition of FM. Editor-in-chief Oliver Rowe summarises articles on topics that include AI and cybersecurity, including one with advice on writing AI prompts. The episode closes with an explanation of how members can access the October digital edition as well as the issue library. What you'll learn from this episode: Focus areas of the October digital edition. The topic connection in the edition's leadership columns. More about the advice to managers to "keep their antenna up". The topic of the Excel article by Liam Bastick, FCMA, CGMA.

Swaran Singh, Ph.D., professor of social and community psychiatry at the University of Warwick, explores the reasons we feel disconnected from our mental process and responses to stressful events, along with ways we can exert more control over those processes to rationalise and minimise uncertainty. Singh also illustrates the connection between mental and physical health and the role of a growth mindset in limiting stress and promoting positivity in the face of adversity. He will speak on the topic of mastering your mindset at UK & Ireland ENGAGE in October in London and online. What you'll learn from this episode: § Why organisations' approach to wellbeing is evolving. § How to begin to master your mindset and stay positive. § The link between mental and physical health conditions. § Small steps to becoming more at peace with change and uncertainty. § Ways to reframe your inner critic. § Tips for managing and recovering from stress.

Leadership coach and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional Sophie Turner explains how CIMA helped her navigate the learning and development path in her career, the psychology of imposter syndrome, and considerations for organisations looking to create a more diverse and inclusive culture. Turner explains the importance of objectivity as a remedy for persistent self-doubt and why it's hard for people suffering from imposter syndrome to tap into the objective side of their brain. She also illustrates ways that organisations can think differently about creating a workplace where everyone feels valued. What you'll learn from this episode: § How CIMA studies led Turner down the leadership coaching path. § Why imposter syndrome is more complex than feeling anxious or out of place. § The role of feedback in managing imposter syndrome. § The way language impacts women professionally. § Some reasons why companies fail to execute DEI initiatives. § Advice for organisations looking to close diversity and equality gaps.

Jamie Gruman, Ph.D., professor of organisational behaviour at the University of Guelph in Canada, discusses some of the ways technology is distancing us from other people and how this can harm employees. Gruman explains why this era of urgency and efficiency, aided by technological advancements, threatens to further dehumanise and objectify workforces and describes ways this is happening in businesses. He talks about the research he and Alan Saks, Ph.D., professor of organisational behaviour and human resources management at the University of Toronto Scarborough), have done. That research concludes that work cultures focused on care are necessary for good management and satisfied employees. Gruman also highlights one commonly held "naive belief" preventing the development of more compassionate practices in the workplace. What you'll learn from this episode: § Different ways technology can dehumanise and objectify employees at work. § Why creating a caring work environment should be simple. § One shared falsehood that stops organisations from implementing caring cultures. § The role of leadership in demonstrating and rewarding care. § The interplay between work culture and employees' relationship with technology. § How employees are resisting algorithms that threaten their autonomy.