Episodes

Episode # 76: You may have a dream for what you want to accomplish, but that dream can only be realized if you have a written plan that makes sense. A written plan that accounts for more than what your organization is asking you to do. A well thought out written plan is the key to accomplishing your long-term goal and your dreams. Episode outline: Our Individual Development Plan is a commitment to ourselves, Critical components of the IDP often overlooked, An effective IDP goes beyond what y...

Episode #75: Our habits are closely aligned with our mindset, and how we approach challenges. Do we embrace wanting to achieve excellence or do you become complacent? Our success is a combination of mindset and habits, plus leadership. I hope that you practice great leadership as the most important habit of all. Episode outline: Your habits determine your daily success, What successful people do to build and reinforce good habits, and The most important habit is practicing great leadership. ...

Episode #74: You have assumed a new role at a new company. What are your first steps? What do you do first so you set yourself up for success? Those first few weeks can determine how well you know your role, and more importantly, who do you need to meet, what systems do you need to learn, and what are the details about the company’s culture. Your first actions in a new role will be critical to your success, so plan carefully and embrace learning and meeting new people. Episode outline: Embrace ...

Episode # 73: You need to stay current with what is happening in the Finance and Accounting fields so that you can address your skills gap to remain competitive. I will continue to recommend that you learn leadership since that will remain critical to advancing your career. The nature of work is changing, and that means we have to change also. Episode outline: What the future is, Identify and grow your skills gap, Career trends for 2022, and Learning leadership will set you apart. Please em...

Episode # 72: As a leader, taking time to capture your thoughts and ideas is critical to developing a better work-flow for yourself and your team, and to explore your entire life. Keeping a journal is a great way to deep dive some ideas or other areas of your leadership and life to find areas that need to be improved. I recommend setting aside time to think and to write down those thoughts to help you gain clarity. Not only will you be able to capture your best ideas but keeping a journal can be...

Episode # 71: We are in the new year, and I believe that 2022 will be your best year to date. This will be a time to develop a plan of action for what’s important to you that includes your career AND your personal life. It can be the blueprint for setting your personal priorities and ensuring you don’t forget the important events in your life AND that you live, grow, and thrive with no regrets. Episode outline: Setting the right priorities for your life, Adopt winning habits including a self-c...

As we move into the new year, I want you to resist making New Year’s Resolutions. They are whimsical, short-lived illusions that often result in failure instead of real results. What we need to do is to develop a plan of action to improve our chance of success. We will write out realistic goals with a timeline. The key is written goals. In the last few weeks, I have asked you to do some preliminary work to prepare for planning out your 2022 plan of action. I have asked you to identify what’s im...

Build hope into your daily activities. Tomorrow will be a better day for you, your friends, your family, and everything else important in your life. The world has collectively been through a lot in 2021 and going all the way back to 2020. We must continue to build resilience for what is ahead for us. I shared a similar message last year. This is December and this month has a wonderful collection of holiday traditions from around the world: Christmas, Hanaukah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Boxing D...

What do you really want to finish next year? Prioritize so you can focus your effort. Episode outline: 1) What is important to you, 2) What are your key personal events for 2022, 3) What are your current challenges, 4) What is the vision (or purpose) for your life, 5) Prioritize your effort, 6) Ensure you synchronize your plan for next year with your significant other. Please connect with me on: 1. Instagram: stephen.mclain 2. Twitter: smclainiii 3. Facebook: stephenmclainconsultant 4. Lin...

It’s important for everyone to check their mental fitness during the holiday season. Sometimes we take on more than we can handle and also sometimes our reality doesn’t match up to our expectations. We ask too much of others who may not be ready to act or to participate. Please connect with me on: 1. Instagram: stephen.mclain 2. Twitter: smclainiii 3. Facebook: stephenmclainconsultant 4. LinkedIn: stephenjmclainiii Consider joining The Finance Leader Podcast Community Facebook Group, where we...

Bonus episode # 29: A professional certification provides a credential that marks you as an authority in Finance and Accounting, so ensure you can continue to hold that certification by earning the required annual credits. The year is coming to an end quickly and due to the holidays, everything is a rush and you never feel like you have enough time. Please connect with me on: 1. Instagram: stephen.mclain 2. Twitter: smclainiii 3. Facebook: stephenmclainconsultant 4. LinkedIn: stephenjmclainiii...

Your long-term goal of achieving the role of Chief Financial Officer is ambitious and will require planning, commitment, and hard work. You must be seen as a knowledgeable and professionally credentialed leader in Finance and Accounting. Commit to owning your career today so you plan out moves that contribute to you advancing. Be comfortable taking risk and have a written plan. Episode outline: You must own your career, The experience and background of the typical CFO, The CFO selection proc...

Episode 69: All organizations in the 21st century must view themselves as a technology company first, no matter their industry, to set the correct mindset and perspective. Your technology system determines how relevant and how quickly information and communication can be processed, which is critical to making the right decisions at the right time. Episode outline: Every company must see themselves as a technology company first, Automate routine information and reports, Your system must be sec...

The Chief Financial Officer contributes significantly to the strategic planning and execution processes of the organization. Strategy becomes a decision about choices around available resources. Where do you commit the company to go based on the resources that are available? The CFO and their teams help to evaluate key metrics in the development and then execution of the strategy. The CFO must take a strong leadership role in the formulation, analysis, and then execution of the strategy. Episod...

Episode # 67: What value does the Chief Financial Officer add to the company? A CFO typically has a wealth of experience, knowledge, and a particular strategic skillset to help them navigate the challenges of leading an organization. But what do CFOs do to add value? The CFO Leads the Finance and Accounting teams who don’t only conduct reporting and transaction recording, but also can add tremendous value by analyzing opportunities in all sections of the profit and loss statement. Episode outli...

Episode 66: The modern CFO requires a different set of skills and perspective to navigate the complexities of the new global marketplace. Traditional business concepts are changing into more a dynamic and socially conscious environment where you must be able to solve much different problems than as a team manager. When you combine a strategic skillset with your finance and accounting knowledge plus a growth mindset, you will be able to succeed at the executive level. The following outline is us...

Episode 65: The C Suite is a partnership of senior leaders who must be committed to working with each other to properly guide their organization to success, while also ensuring that group think never takes hold. Senior executives must challenge each other professionally, execute the strategy, and solve complex problems together. It begins and ends with leaders willing to hold themselves accountable for the organization’s success and failures. It’s a partnership that can create long-standing valu...

Episode 64: The Role of Chief Financial Officer requires a different mindset, a different world view, and a perspective that helps you see the organization differently. The CFO must be forward thinking and must never quit. Episode outline: The qualities of the successful C-suite executive, You must pivot your skillset, mindset, and perspective, Embrace change and embrace adversity, You must set the right example every day to establish a high standard, and You must own your career and your g...

Bonus episode # 28: This is the time to prepare for your future senior leader role. Don’t wait until you are a senior manager looking to break into a more junior executive position. Work on the key skills today and change your mindset. Please connect with me on: 1. Instagram: stephen.mclain 2. Twitter: smclainiii 3. Facebook: stephenmclainconsultant 4. LinkedIn: stephenjmclainiii For more resources, please visit Finance Leader Academy: financeleaderacademy.com. Send us Fan Mail Support the sh...

This week I am sharing an encore episode from Season 6 – Episode 48, Coaching Leads to Better Results. I believe that everyone needs coaching, because great coaching can help us see things in our life and our career that we can’t see and the best coaching happens when the coach guides, but we actually discover the answers ourselves. When we self-discover what’s lacking or where we are falling short, we are more likely to own the solution. This is why coaching is critical. As mentioned in the ep...

There are so many ways in which we limit ourselves from achieving our goals. A self-imposed limit is defeating ourselves before we even begin. Once we convince ourselves that there are no limits to what we can do and achieve, we become unstoppable in the pursuit of our dreams. You have lots of potential…potential for greatness if you believe in yourself. Rid yourselves of these self-imposed limits and free yourself to act. I have something for you. Consider joining The Finance Leader Podcast Co...

Bonus episode #25: The Finance and Accounting professionals who stay in their comfort zones and only do their daily tasks, will not get the same opportunities as those who get on high visibility projects and who are constantly improving themselves. You may be seen as reliable and trustworthy within the tasks you are given, but you will not be given additional responsibility or a promotion unless you can prove you can do more. Please connect with me on: 1. Instagram: stephen.mclain 2. Twitter: ...

I believe in having the right mentor, and that is someone outside your current work situation who can really help you fine tune your career strategy and even help you make some key connections for your future. The best mentor is someone you were worked with in the past, but are not working with now. They know you, they know your abilities, at least in the past, and they know your goals. I have something for you. Consider joining The Finance Leader Podcast Community Facebook Group, where we can ...

Episode # 63: Leaders must be self-aware of their thoughts, actions, words and behaviors so they are constantly working to build trust and develop their teams. Self-aware leaders know what is appropriate and what isn’t appropriate. Emotionally intelligent leaders can read the room properly that leads to a positive outcome. Episode outline: The great leaders are emotionally intelligent, Think before speaking or taking action, and Read the room so you understand the tone and mood of any gatheri...