Episodes

Send us Fan Mail Please enjoy this encore episode from Season 7 - Episode 62 - What Leaders Do. The most important responsibility leaders have is to grow other leaders. The first task a great leader will do is to build trust and that begins with our own actions, our attitude, and our behavior. We often get overwhelmed with the tasks, but I want you to shift from a task-focus to a people-focus leadership style. Lead and set a great example, build trust, and empower your team to create a...

Send us Fan Mail Please enjoy this encore episode from Season 8 - Episode 64 - The CFO Mindset. 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. The following outline is used during the episode: The qualities of the successful c suite executive,You must pivot your skillset, mindset, and perspective,Embrace change and embrace ...

Send us Fan Mail Please enjoy this encore episode from Season 7 - Episode 57 - Own Your Career. What happens during your career journey mostly rests upon decisions you make along with your risk comfort level. Are you planning out your career moves or are you waiting on someone else to give you an opportunity? No one is going to seek you out to hand you what you need to achieve your goals and advance your career. Episode outline: You are the only person who will care about your c...

Send us Fan Mail Bonus episode # 34: 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 h...

Send us Fan Mail Episode # 80: You need to be advocating for yourself when it comes to career opportunities, for raises, for promotions, to be on high visibility projects, for time off, for the right boundaries, and the list goes on. I am particularly speaking to the group of Finance and Accounting professionals who are truly dedicated and don’t ask for much in return. It’s time that you get rewarded for your hard work and you need to take action for these to happen. Start advocating for your...

Send us Fan Mail Episode # 79: Can your team members thrive in their current work environment? As leaders, we have standards to uphold, tasks to get done, and a strategy to execute, but do our team members believe they are treated well, are their voices heard, and do they have opportunities for growth and development? How much time do you invest in your team members? When you lead a team, you have more responsibility than only completing tasks on a list, you have people who are lookin...

Send us Fan Mail Episode # 78: The greatest responsibility we have is to grow other leaders so I want to encourage you to share your leadership tips by publishing them to reach a greater audience. Never stop trying to positively influence the next generation of leaders. Episode outline: Growing others is our greatest responsibility,Share so you can positively influence, Publishing helps you grow as a leader, andMethods of sharing and publishing. Please connect with me on: 1. Instagram...

Send us Fan Mail Episode 77: What does it take to advance your career? There are many decisions and pathways you can take. There are lots of choices, but how do you prepare yourself for the best chance of advancing to senior leader roles? In this episode, I will highlight the five pillars of career advancement which can help you move in the right direction, so you have the best chance for achieving your dream role. And what do you when you approach an obstacle in your career advancement? Do y...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 practic...

Send us Fan Mail 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. Epis...

Send us Fan Mail 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, andLearning leadership will set you apa...

Send us Fan Mail 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 keep...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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, Wint...

Send us Fan Mail Bonus episode # 31: 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. ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 Fac...

Send us Fan Mail 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....

Send us Fan Mail 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,T...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ...

Send us Fan Mail Episode # 68: 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 ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 state...

Send us Fan Mail 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. T...