What Financial Conversations Could Be…It’s About More Than Money
At our most recent board meeting for Creating the Future , we took time to deeply explore the role financial management, reporting, and leadership should play in the organization. As a demonstration project exploring what could be possible for all boards, we spend a fair amount of time engaged in a process talking about process. I personally think this is at the heart of leadership and creating space for process is essential to organizational success, but I found it particularly relevant here. Many of us come to financial issues, be they our own personal ones or those of an organization with which we are involved, from a place of reactivity. We get a report or a statement showing us what has transpired and are asked to react. Let’s look at how different people react: For those who consider themselves “not numbers people,” fear and embarrassment are the first reactions as they confront something unfamiliar and intimidating. Fear and embarrassment don’t generally lead to engagement and