Beyond the call
Shareholder value and the effective management of the stakeholder relationship are key to any business. While we already know that most businesses and organisations follow a far more integrated approach to this activity, just how integrated and how ready are we to adapt quickly to a constantly changing environment? These are two critical questions that most businesses must answer in our new economic climate, and these are two questions that are most closely linked to evaluating and measuring value in order to ensure continued profitable growth. Cost savings play a pivotal role here, and for the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the challenge and opportunities this brings oftentimes lends itself to a business’ long-term sustainability.
We started calling this new emphasis the function of the changing role of the CFO, and true to that, the new considerations of the job are still in a continuum and now we don’t only talk of the changing role, but about the critical need for CFOs to go beyond what even this changing role first entailed. In order for your business to operate and sustain growth, the CFO must engage in powerful insights from his/her peers and industry visionaries on the changing financial landscape; they must quickly grasp and be able to strategise around the key issues that affect how they do their jobs; begin to consider value-adding leadership skills that go far beyond managing budgets, to inspiring a new strand of leadership at the shop floor level and be able to drive provocative reinvention and reinvigoration into the business And begin to concentrate on exceeding all expectations from all shareholders – internal clients, customers and shareholders.
It seems a tall order, but knowing the great foundation having a CA(SA) designation brings, going beyond the call of duty and impacting on an even more significant shift in focus for the CFO, we continue to lead, influence and develop a winning nation.
Author: Raina Julies
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