The Competent Accountant - Mastering the Role of the Controller/ CFO

Overview

How do you raise your skills to the next level to master the Controller or CFO role? Welcome to a course that provides insights that align the CGMA Competency Framework. The course will examine each of the areas: Technical, Business, Leadership and People to increase your competency.

How are your technical skills?  Are you a traditional accountant or have you learned to expand your technical skills to go beyond "what are the financial numbers?" to "why did these financial results occur?"  Are you able to use ratios to understand the business dynamics and the implications to change course or take corrective action?  Are the systems that you implement and operate best practices or merely stop-gap solutions?
How are your business skills?  Can you set a vision? Can you develop a strategy?  Do you understand the macroeconomic environment of your organization?   Can you lead a major project to a successful conclusion?  This session will explore the role of business as opposed to tracking the results of the business.
How are your people skills?  How good is your ability to influence others? How are successful are your negotiation skills?   How well can you communicate?  Are you a collaborator or a partner?  This section will help accountants understand that it is people skills that drive the overall success of the accounting operations.
Finally, how are your Leadership skills?  Do you inspire staff or make them angry?  Do you know why your staff work for your company and you?  Do you understand what employees want from their position?  Do you know how to deal with a difficult staff person?  Can you lead difficult change?  This session will help you recognize what leadership truly is as opposed to what passes for day to day management.

Highlights

Business Management
Organization

Prerequisites

None

Designed For

All CPAs

Objectives

Understand what is necessary to Lead the organization as well as the Accounting/Finance department
Identify tools that are available to improve leadership, business, people and technical skills
Apply CGMA competency framework to each participant’s skill level and develop a plan of action to obtain competency in all levels

Preparation

None

Credits

Level

Code

Vendor

Fields of Study

Leader(s):

James Lindell, ACPEN Business Professionals Network

Leader Bios

James Lindell, ACPEN Business Professionals Network

James (Jim) Lindell, CPA, MBA is the President of a Wisconsin based provider of strategic & financial consulting, professional speaking, training, and executive coaching. Jim has an extensive background in senior management including positions as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Assistant Controller. Jim has worked with a variety of industries including: manufacturing, health care, not for profit, distribution and food processing. He has been involved in more than 50 M & A projects. James Lindell is a Certified Public Accountant with public accounting experience at several local and regional accounting firms. He is a TEC Chairman (The Executive Committee). He is a member (and instructor) of the American Institute of CPA’s and the Wisconsin Institute of CPA’s and a member of Wisconsin Chapter of National Speaker Association. Jim is the author of the AICPA course “AICPA’s Annual Update for Controllers”, “Strategic Planning: A Simplified and Workable Approach for Private Companies” and “AICPA’s Controllership: 25 Critical Lessons from the Trenches.” Jim also authored and was part of the AICPA video and course, “Minimizing the Effects of a Recession on Your Business”. He is a contributing author of the AICPA course “The Fast Close, Soft Close, Virtual Close? Now Days, not Weeks”. Jim is a 2-time recipient of the AICPA’s Outstanding Discussion Leader award and most recently is a 2012-13 recipient of the AICPA Outstanding Instructor Award.

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