An in-depth look at FP&A-related topics that are developed via interviews with finance professionals. Presented as quarterly case studies with practical applications and tools to help you make informed decisions about key FP&A methods.

AFP FP&A Guide: Get Your Talent Right

Underwritten by AARP

FPAG-23 Get Your Talent Right web banner

To be a value-driven finance organization that partners with the business, you must know the goals and objectives of your organization. To meet these goals, you may need to bring in new talent or upskill the talent you already have.

The 2023 AFP FP&A Guide: Get Your Talent Right, underwritten by AARP, presents different studies from organizations that will help you get your talent right, from finding the right company-candidate fit to navigating a career. It is designed for two audiences: individuals considering ways to advance their careers, and managers and leaders seeking to develop their teams.

The guide explores the following five studies to help you navigate the talent pipeline:  

  1. Be Primed for a Competitive Job Marketplace – The PageGroup    
  2. People + Technology Skills Embedded in Your Finance Team – Shell Energy India   
  3. Get Savvy About Business and Operations - Coursera
  4. Manage Your Team with Agile Situational Awareness – Swiss Re    
  5. Build Your Strengths for a Rewarding Career – Maersk   
     

BE PRIMED FOR A COMPETITIVE JOB MARKETPLACE 

The Michael Page Talent Trends report provides insights and sentiments across a dozen job markets. Here is what research identified as the top challenges for hiring and placing top FP&A talent: 

  • Competition for the best applicants and companies 
  • Matching expectations  
  • Required skills unavailable 
  • Lack of applicants or roles

    • Learn more by downloading the guide.

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    PEOPLE + TECHNOLOGY SKILLS EMBEDDED IN YOUR FINANCE TEAM 

    In a siloed world, you had data and technology people in one group and finance people elsewhere. Shell specifically chose to blend these two skill sets within finance in the way that red and blue blend to become purple. The concept of “purple people” includes a three-step plan: 

    1. Set a vision of digital leadership;    
    2. Be specific about how to approach it;  
    3. Build a people strategy around those outcomes. 

    Find out more about the concept of “purple people”.

    GET SAVVY ABOUT BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS 

    Now that companies expect FP&A professionals to give more insights to help them make meaningful decisions, Asif Masani, FP&A Manager, shares a framework to help your team develop the right skills to drive business results by examining three areas:

    FPAG-23_Right Skilling FP&A 2 
    Discover how right-skilling FP&A can help your company. 

    MANAGE YOUR TEAM WITH SITUATIONAL AWARENESS 

    Swiss Re North America had an opportunity to really rethink how their team delivered financial services. Here is how they approached building and managing the FP&A team: 

  • Hire for Behaviors  
  • Manage Teams by Type    
  • Manage Team Workloads 
  • Build a Meaningful Purpose and Strategy  

    • Download the guide to learn more.

    BUILD YOUR STRENGTHS FOR A REWARDING CAREER 

    For Rex Gu, CFO, to get to the key roles in his career, he needed to set and signal his aspiration, and also deliver on work every day in a consistent manner. Here is a tool, the talent compass, that has helped on this journey:

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    Check out more on the Talent Compass. 

     

    Published April 11, 2023