How can entry-level professionals in Financial Management develop leadership skills?

Some of key aspects or strategies to be kept in mind while developing leadership skills: Learn Continuously Identify a mentor and seek guidance Take on Responsibility - challenge yourself. Focus on communication Skills Be a team player and collaborative Try to solve problem and make decisions as possible. Time Management - very important Networking - this can open many doors Embrace change Be proactive Learn about cultural differences and be aware Walk the talk - lead by example Stay informed and be aware of current happenings Understanding that humility and patience are asset Focus on building a brand "YOU"

One essential characteristic of a leader is to have a genuine desire to contribute to the success of the whole organization. The following can be done as well: 1. Be open to all tasks handed down to you, no matter how big or small. Essential skills and knowledge are not only gained from huge responsibilities. It can come from menial tasks such as encoding which can spark creativity and lead to the development of automated processes. 2. Embrace every opportunity to collaborate with other functional areas and understand the impact and value you provide to the whole organization. 3. Most importantly, put in your best effort in everything you do. Excellence is an important value of leaders, and it can only be attained through constant practice.

Key to remember here is that goals do not have to be grand with large timelines, goals can be small and have smaller manageable timelines. At the same time, you may also want a goal that stretches you; where you may not have a clear path forward at first but with the help of your manager and your peers, you accomplish the goal.

- One basic requirement to achieve leadership in financial management is to go over and beyond what is required and deliver with a work ethic to always produce results more than the expected. - once done your area of responsibility try to lessen others work load by volunteering to sincerely support them without the aim of getting benefit out of this. - Always work on your technical and soft skills. It is way of life similar to hitting gym for fitness.

Service is a key aspect in developing leadership. The leader is the “servant-in-chief.” Leadership places the mission and the organization’s priorities and stakeholders before any personal goals. Doing so will transform what you do from just a job into a calling. For we are called to be of service to others and to lead by example. This translates into a successful, fulfilled, and purposeful life. Leadership also inspires others to do the same that will facilitate employee engagement, empowerment, wellness, and development.

Do your job well and be reliable. Volunteer for new challenges and projects. Help others learn and grow. Get to know senior leaders.

- Volunteering for informal leadership opportunities - Leading and coordinating projects - Formal leadership training - Leaders are Readers! Read about top leaders' life, thier experiences & strategies, and draw inspiration from their examples.

Interact with the business team members ( non - finance) to understand how the business functions. Try to figure out the business model beyond the finance numbers. Ask what works and what does not work for the revenues. Senior leaders from operations or finance can mentor if right questions are asked. Find out what are the differentiating factors which makes the business unique wrt competition. Leadership can be achieved only if they look beyond finance department.

The key thing for early career Finance professionals to do is - to develop a deep understanding of the business they are in. What are the cost drivers, how does the organization make, why do customers buy from them. These fundamental elements will enable them to derive Financial insights (not just data) which will help them contribute to the organization's objectives.

This is mission critical....always welcome and ask for feedback from your peers, your subordinates and your leadership and other stakeholders...each will prove a different facet to how you and your actions are perceived....giving you a well-rounded perspective which will then enable you to be more successful and enable you to manage up and down and across your organization.

Leadership is a soft skill. Those soft skills are often the most crucial skill when leading, whether is a project or a team. If you're new to leading, the best thing you can do is watch and learn from someone you think has a leadership style you wish to emulate. If that is a person you work with, seek them out as a mentor. If you have a trusting relationship with your manager, seek their feedback. Seek feed back from those you work directly with - whether other team members or cross functional partners. Weigh what they tell you and take the pieces that are meaningful to your development, focus on common themes of areas to improve. Those things that you are doing well, double down on.

Feedback and mentorship both help in keeping actions towards organisation’s development and also self improvement. Mentoring is fine but in case of feedback needs to be very selective to choose wisely.

Remember that leadership is a collection of soft / human skills. And you don't have to have a team of direct reports to get started! You can shape your aspirational leadership goals and values, and seek feedback and mentoring to those, to give yourself structure, focus, (intentional decision making) and points to measure your progress and next steps against.

Learning ability is the key for any successful professional. A growing professional needs to keep learning curve very high be it technical set or behavioural set of mind . Its help to acquire every opportunity as 1st mover advantages

Think about the skills and knowledge that you want to develop and be open minded about where and how you can learn. It could be volunteering. It could be from shadowing or training from people outside of finance, gaining different perspectives. E.g. if you want to be a better business partner, who in your company is somebody with fantastic partnering skills? Ask them to coach or mentor you. A finance leader needs commercial acumen and appreciation of other functions, to support decision making, too. Engaging across functions enables this development.

I recommend focusing on the following steps: 1) excel in the current role you have. This will help you stand out and be respected by your direct reports once you become a leader. 2) Let your manager know you are interested in being a leader and what value you can add to the organization as a leader. 3) seek mentors who have the roles you want so they can see your strengths and advocate for you. 4) network throughout the organization so you can showcase your interests, and stay aware of other similar roles which may become available.

Volunteer to lead a charitable donation drive or event for your company. There are likely to be year round opportunities where you can showcase organization and leadership skills.

I have always been very courageous and demonstrated my abilities to take risk and responsibilities since beginning of my carrier. It gives confidence to management and I kept getting larger roles in the organisation. I took all large role in large deals , large M&A , corporate structure , financial decisions and many more . Always see large pictures of your role , see how your role building the entire organisation and how good you can do more . Keep the spirit of team high and positive take the responsibilities and go ahead

Collaborate communication is the relationship built one large in the role. When ever I participate such meetings it gives enough input to leverage. We as CFO are the one who capitalise such communications. Keeping eye and learning from industry experts, their advises and best practice to adopt.

One thing I have found helpful is to connect with like minded professional through own network or through professional chapters. Engaging with others will enable us to understand the trends, landscape and share knowlege with each other. Voluntering in non profit is also another way to hone the financial leadership as you can help the organsiation by improving fiancial governance through improved financial management practices. This is also an opportunity to work with other Board members to help them undestand finance from you. Through these you are on the way to becoming a Finance leader through building relationships, coaching and knowledge sharing.

One more bit of advice to add for an emerging leader is to be authentic. Don't act like the robotic leader your brain is telling you to be. It's your human side and personality that will set you apart from others and help you actually connect with your subordinates.

Learn to listen and to see based on building trustful relations at any level because you learn from professional colleges but also from all other workers and professionals from complete different areas Networking yes but with empathy and openness

Practicing self awareness and humility, although uncomfortable will put you on the fast track to leadership skills. Listen to your colleagues and peers, notice how people respond to you, feel the uncomfortable feelings, and use that information to determine what you need to improve upon in yourself.