May 26, 2025
Are you a Finance Leader thinking that 2025 is the Year of Finance Transformation for you, afraid perhaps that if you don't act now, you might miss the Bus? Maybe you are starting to get both excited and cold feet about AI? Afraid, perhaps that you might get left behind and have to wait hopefully on the next 179?
Maybe there is no 'other' Bus after this, maybe 2025 is it, the Year of your Finance Transformation. I know that the demands on a Finance Director are myriad and sometimes they don't get sufficient time to carve out of their Diary for Strategy and the legendary 'Blue Sky thinking'? You may be busy 'firefighting', lacking resources and just trying to keep your head above water. I understand that completely and respect your efforts to do it all but I am here to help.
It is however a scary thought that Technology will advance at such a rate in such a short space of time that the time for that 'critical thinking' is well, its now, tomorrow may be too late or is that just the AI scary bogey man talking.?
As an aside the Subscriber base continues to grow and powerfully head towards 3K I reviewed the List again yesterday as I watched United return to winning ways about 4 days too late, but a win is a win as they say and hopefully Amorin can begin in earnest now. Lets face it he had no time for blue sky thinking as he was run off his feet trying to wrestle with a Club in decline and a squad intent on hastening it. Or did he...
However, I daresay Rubin Amorin has a Plan. Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Forest, Chelsea, Villa even Bournemouth are all currently ahead of him, but he has a Plan. A Plan, his Plan, the Plan that will lead United back to 'Glory days again'. Feel free to sing if you need to lift your spirits.
At some point he recognised the scale of the challenge facing him and put his Plan in his back pocket and said I'll wait and when I am ready I will strike. I am happy to predict here that he will succeed. I suspect he has already struck and was thrilled with the final whistle yesterday as now he can start the real work.
But how did he arrive at this Plan, is it in his head, did he bounce it off Sir Jim or Omar? Did he talk to his confidant at Sporting? Did he chat it through with his Wife? Did he talk to his Da? Who knows but he spoke to somebody because nobody develops a Strategic Plan in their own head without bouncing it off somebody.
Even if you came up with that Plan all on your own, in your own head, nobody advances without a sounding board, a sense check and second opinion. Nobody in their right mind anyway. You may never know who Rubin confides in but I would hazard a guess that based on the capacity of the human mind and the impact of our ego on the equation WE all ask somebody 'what do you think mate?'
I set out exactly one year ago to write 'How to Transform Finance' my new Book to the backdrop of the Premiership Season. I had a Plan. I would entertain and engage you with my opinions on the football, on Man Utd, my 95% prediction success rate and deliver thought provoking challenges to how you think about Finance. A real Finance MBA for those who like a high challenge every now and then...
We are all aware of the standard Finance approach, the things that must be true, that are set in stone or preached as Gospel in how Finance operates but such thinking has long been due an overhaul. I set out to make you think and all along I had intended to weave it into a story that you could pick up when you needed it. Click here to Download 'How to Transform Finance'
I could have given you a Contents Page, I could have but I wanted to set your mind racing and spark in you right from the start a questioning mindset, so instead I gave you 18 images. To get you facing me in 'adversarial mode'. Your Professional reputation, your engrained beliefs, your thoughts versus what I committed to paper.
You see there is no value to my Book unless you are prepared to be honest with yourself and challenge where you are at and how you do things. I do not expect you to agree with me but I do expect you to think about your engrained beliefs.
My Plan was to adopt a different approach to this my 2nd Book. Nobody saw it until the Draft was complete. Nobody, because I check the stats and I know you don't read every Article and NOBODY saw the Cover.
I then brought in a 'Critical Friend' or two and the Cover and the Website were challenged as relentlessly as United's end of Season run in. It was tackled, body checked and hacked down at every opportunity. All in a professional manner of course. At the end I had a new Cover, a refreshed Website and one thing I had never thought of which is currently working for me 24/7 so I can focus on the Football and of course Finance Transformation.
The Website is refreshed here at Finance Transformation Consulting and I think the team did a great job and it looks fresh. Hats off to them, I like it. 3K Visitors in 3 weeks, what do I keep telling you..? 'Measure to Manage' its the key to Success.
You should Bookmark it as I am seriously considering a Website only Newsletter. Stay tuned.
My first choice of Cover sits on a chair in my Office, I can see it, still think 'ahh it would have been great as well.' But challenge was what my Plan needed and it got it. If I can help you plan your Finance Transformation and be the Critical Friend your Project needs then reach out and lets talk, for everything else the Book goes along way to covering it.
AI I hear you cry, where's the AI!?
Chuckle Volume 1 sets you up for Success, Volume 2 delivers it at an exponential rate, stay tuned as the AI Articles will start to appear and you know me, if there is no practical, immediate use that a Finance Leader thinks is worth it, it won't be making an appearance at Waterstones.
Enjoy your Bank Holiday Monday,
Cheers,
Michael.