Business Partnering from Maersk to Lego: Christian Franz Hansen
Oct 22, 2024
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Christian Franz Hansen Christian, a seasoned management consultant and finance thought leader, has shaped finance roles at giants like General Motors and Lego. He discusses transforming finance from number crunching to strategic business partnering, emphasizing soft skills and stakeholder engagement. Christian shares insights from his work at Maersk, focusing on effective communication and prioritizing tasks for productivity. He also highlights the power of Excel's Power Query to optimize data management, offering practical strategies for today's finance professionals.
Transitioning from an Excel-focused role to a strategic position requires finance professionals to develop essential soft skills and build trusting relationships.
The Business Partnering Institute emphasizes transforming finance teams from data providers to strategic partners by prioritizing communication and collaborative problem-solving.
Deep dives
The Evolution of a Finance Professional
A finance professional often starts their career focused on technical skills, particularly in creating complex Excel models, which serve as a key stepping stone. However, transitioning from an Excel-centric role to a more strategic position requires developing soft skills and a broader perspective on business dynamics. Gaining experience in consulting and engaging in discussions about emotional intelligence and relationship-building significantly enrich the role of finance professionals, making them essential contributors to strategic decision-making. This evolution involves moving away from just being a 'number cruncher' to becoming a trusted business partner who can communicate insights effectively to drive organizational success.
The Role of the Business Partnering Institute
The Business Partnering Institute aims to enhance the capabilities of finance professionals by emphasizing skills beyond technical finance expertise. This includes fostering cross-functional collaboration, strong communication skills, and problem-solving abilities that amplify the impact of finance teams within organizations. The Institute focuses on transforming finance departments into value-driven entities by encouraging individuals to partner effectively with various stakeholders. By establishing finance business partnering academies, the Institute trains finance professionals to prioritize interpersonal skills and build trust across departments, which is crucial for effective collaboration.
Crucial Soft Skills for Career Advancement
For finance professionals aiming to advance their careers, honing soft skills such as trust-building and structured communication is paramount. Trust is established through effective interactions with business stakeholders, facilitating a collaborative environment in which finance professionals can influence decisions. Furthermore, structured communication helps convey complex financial information succinctly, ensuring that insights lead to meaningful action within the organization. By mastering these soft skills, finance professionals can become integral to strategic discussions, thereby shifting their role from mere data providers to essential partners in decision-making.
Shifting Focus from Output to Outcome
In finance, it's essential to transition the focus from mere outputs, such as reports and dashboards, to the outcomes they generate. A finance professional's true success is measured by the actionable insights derived from their analyses and how these insights influence business decisions and drive impact. By emphasizing the importance of communication and recommendations alongside the data presented, finance professionals can facilitate changes that lead to better business performance. This shift in perspective not only enhances the value of their contributions but also fosters a more proactive and engaged relationship with management.
Christian Franz Hansen is a seasoned management consultant and finance thought leader. He’s made it his mission to bridge the gap between strategic decision making and data analysis with a background that includes roles at EY and a finance consultant helping big-names including General Motors, Lego Group, and Maersk. He’s now a member of the Business Partnering Institute, where he’s revolutionizing how finance professionals approach their roles.
In this episode:
From Excel Wizard as a stepping stone to career growth (“ I still love the beauty of a well designed Excel model”)
From EY to a change-oriented consulting company at Finance Business Partnering Institute
Top ways to elevate the finance professional
Partnering, communication, influencing stakeholders, problem solving and understanding the value drivers
Working with 500 business professionals at Maersk to turn the finance ship around from bean counters to business partners
Meeting Anders Liu Lindberg and starting the Business Partnering Institute
Outcomes vs Outputs in finance
Allocating finance hours to not drown in tasks
Resistance against our “soft skills” training and how to overcome it in your finance team