CMA Webinar Workbook CFO of The Future

Beyond Business Partner
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WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU
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ABOUT YOU
THIS WORKBOOK BELONGS TO: Month/Year
Organisation Team name
Email Address Mobile number
This is where I currently am in the CFO journey....
This is where I will be in 3 years
My contribution to the world through my career is...
ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

A NOTE FROM
THE AUTHOR
Welcome!
Welcome to "Beyond Business Partner" for CFOs! It is my pleasure and

privilege to work with you to shift the possibilities for you and your career.
This workshop and accompanying workbook were designed to enable

CFOs identify how to position themselves as a CFO of the future and help
them future proof their careers. During this session you will gain an
awareness into the CFO journey and start to understand where you are,
where you want to be and how to get there. What I want to do is enable you
to have a career by design, not default. How does that sound?
This workbook is for you are a CFO (or aspiring CFO!) that is looking to create
value and lead with impact. It's for you if you want to play a game of
significance, as opposed to status. It's also for you if you're willing to do the
work to make that happen. That is how you leverage your impact. I have
packed this workbook full of some of the tools we use in the CFO
Boardroom to help you extend and implement all the learnings and
knowledge gained from this session so that it amplifies your performance.
If you have any questions or want any further information about any of the
content covered herein or any of the other programs we run, please contact
me directly on [email protected].
Enjoy the session and play for significance!
Alena Bennett
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Landscape
2. The CFO journey: where are you?
3. The 4 Quadrants of CFO Leadership
4. Bonus Implementation Support

workbook
SECTION
ONE LANDSCAPE

WHERE ARE YOU AT?
"PRESCRIPTION WITHOUT DIAGNOSIS
IS MALPRACTICE"
CHALLENGES FACED BY CFOs
List the all the challenges you and your team experience that get in
the way of you doing your job in the way that you want.
What are your top 3 challenges from the above list?

[insert here]
[insert here]
[insert here]
WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT
"ABOVE THE WATER LINE"
How do you want to be perceived by your boss, Board and
stakeholders?
What activities do your stakeholders see and value?
What percentage of your week do you spend on activities 'above

the water line'?
What percentage of your week would you like to spend on

activities 'above the water line'?

"BELOW THE WATER LINE"
What activities below the water line typically consume your
time on a regular basis?
How much time, on average, of your month is spent on

activities 'below the water line'?
What would be the positive impact to you and your

organisation if you were to shift some of that time to above
the water line activities?

NOTES PAGE....

workbook
SECTION
TWO
THE CFO JOURNEY

SCOREKEEPER
1. Have you experienced the feeling that you're stuck
watching the action from the sidelines? If so, what was
going on at that time? Describe below:
2. What do you notice about your mindset during the

above experience?

SCOREKEEPER
What is the one thing that you think you can incorporate
into your 'high performance week' to ensure you never
drop into 'Scorekeeper'
Do you need any support from others around you? If so,

capture that below:

FIREFIGHTER
CFOs typically find themselves in firefighter mode at
various times of the year. The trick is to have awareness
when you get there and know what to do to lift out of that
mode ASAP.
What events or times of year have you found yourself in

firefighter mode?
Patterns and trends:
Do these events have a certain cadence or regularity

that may allow you to be more proactive in the future?
Is there a certain stakeholder or area of the business
that has a tendency to trigger you into behaving like a
firefighter?

FIREFIGHTER
How does it feel for you when you're in firefighter mode?
What can you do differently to prevent yourself from being

in firefighter mode for too long?
Do you need any support from others around you? If so,

capture that below:

THE MYTH ABOUT SERVICE
How is 'service' characterised in your workplace?
What beliefs do you have about being 'in service' from your
upbringing?
Where have attempts at being 'in service' in your business

dragged you down?

DELIVERER
If I could wave a magic wand and give you an extra work
day back in your week, where would you spend that time?
List the activities you perform on a regular basis from

most impactful and strategic, to least impactful and BAU
What are the activities you do on a repeatable basis that

could be delegated to someone else in your team?

DELIVERER
Your to-do list
Bonus resource: "Amplify the impact of your to-do list"

implementation video

BEING A SAFE PAIR OF HANDS
One of the challenges CFOs face when they are levelling up
their leadership is managing the expectations of stakeholders
through changes that impact them. Sometimes it can feel
easier to 'just do it' instead of delegating the work to
someone else in your team, for fear of upsetting them.
What tasks or activities do you know you need to let go of?

List all below:
Who would be impacted by you stepping away from those

tasks or activities?
What would that allow you to do (for those same people

impacted)?

ADVISER
Who are the people that come to you the most for
guidance and advice? List all below:
What do they typically do with that advice?
How does it make you feel?

ADVISER
How could you help them deliver faster and more
effectively by partnering with them through the process?
Given your reflections above, with whom else in the

business could you partner to add greater value?
CFOs are the arteries of the business. You have the breadth
and depth of information and capability to identify trends,
risks and opportunities well before they eventuate. Where
are those areas?

THE CAPABILITY CURSE
How might you be pigeon-holed with respect to your skill
and area of expertise?
How might that be limiting your opportunities to move

from trusted adviser to business partner?
What actions can you take to create that shift in

perception?

THE CAPABILITY CURSE
Whose support do you need?

PARTNER
What are the key characteristics of a business partner?
List all below:
What are the ways in which you create value as a business

partner?
What would your stakeholders say about you if you were

an effective business partner?

PARTNER
What do you love most about your role as CFO?
What gives you the greatest joy on a day-to-day basis?
What do your stakeholders value most about you and what

you do?

PARTNER
On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the none, 10 being all the time),
how much of your month do you spend in your 'comfort
zone'?
What is important to you? What do you value? Time,

money, status, contribution, community, etc.
In how many years would you like to take your next step?
Why?

PARTNER
Given your responses on the previous 2 pages, what
opportunities could you start to seek or create for yourself
to make business partner your new BAU? List all ideas:
Whose support do you need?

PLAYMAKER
What contribution do you want to make to the world
through your career?
What legacy do you want to leave at your current

organisation?

PLAYMAKER
Source: p 17 of CFO of the Future

PLAYMAKER
If we were having lunch together in 10 years, what would
you like to tell me you were doing?
Now let's assume money wasn't a factor in your decision -

i.e. money was no option? List the ideas that now come to
mind:

NOTES PAGE....

NOTES PAGE....

workbook
SECTION
THREE
4 QUADRANTS OF CFO
LEADERSHIP

What is the quadrant of CFO leadership that you need to
focus on first in order to take your next step in your CFO
journey?
Bonus resource: Extract of book "CFO of the future: The trusted guide for
CFOs to lead with impact and create value"
IDEAS WITHOUT
IMPLEMENTATION IS A
WASTE
HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL FREE TOOLS TO MAKE IT EASY
DOWNLOAD THEM NOW
1. 2021 CFO Annual Report: 5 Pillars of High Performance: Learn

the framework that will help you focus on what matters,
without worrying that you're dropping any balls!
2. CFO of the Future Index: To help you identify exactly where you
are at in your CFO Journey and to learn your unique CFO
Sequence of Success.
3. ""Amplify the impact of your to-do list" implementation video to
help you prioritise each task on your to-do list so you do things
that will improve your results
4. High performance habits checklist so you can ensure you're doing the
things that will have you performing at your best
5. Extract of "CFO of the future: The trusted guide to help CFOs lead with
impact and create value" to help reinforce and extend the learning from
today's workshop, especially with respect to the 4 Quadrants of CFO
Leadership!

workbook
SECTION
FOUR
BONUS IMPLEMENTATION
SUPPORT

“I call Alena my
secret weapon.”
unlocking the confidence leaders both aspire to and
MEET THE SPEAKER need for success and satisfaction. Along with purpose
integration, she believes executive presence and an
active powerbase are the keys to elevating
ALENA BENNETT leadership and moving from authority to mastery.
Obsessed with delivering results beyond the numbers,

She runs several communities and programs for CFOs,
Alena helps CFOs unleash the power of their purpose,
including the CFO Boardroom, CFOs Connect,
and brings that to life by teaching them the mindset,
Accelerate for aspiring CFOs and the upcoming CFO
skills and behaviours they need to deliver results that
Fridays!
inspire. As a Chartered Accountant with international
public practice and corporate experience and a trained
Her clients include individual leaders and teams within
educator and published author, Alena is the go-to for
corporate organisations, professional services practices,
CFOs and their teams looking for next-level success.
government services organisations and
professional membership associations of varying sizes.
She understands that purpose integration is
the missing link when CFOs start to feel their career
stagnate or when they feel frustrated that their effort is HA V E Q U E S T I O N S ?
no longer delivering results, being valued or
recognised. Purpose integration is also the key to [email protected]
[email protected]
www.alenabennett.com.au
LINKEDIN/ALENABENNETT FB. COM/ ALENAOBENNETT ALENABENNETT.COM.AU

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Beyond Business Partner

THIS WORKBOOK BELONGS TO: Month/Year

Organisation Team name

Email Address Mobile number

This is where I currently am in the CFO journey....

This is where I will be in 3 years

My contribution to the world through my career is...

ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

Welcome to "Beyond Business Partner" for CFOs! It is my pleasure and

This workshop and accompanying workbook were designed to enable

Enjoy the session and play for significance!

ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

CHALLENGES FACED BY CFOs

What are your top 3 challenges from the above list?

What activities do your stakeholders see and value?

What percentage of your week do you spend on activities 'above

What percentage of your week would you like to spend on

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

How much time, on average, of your month is spent on

What would be the positive impact to you and your

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

2. What do you notice about your mindset during the

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

Do you need any support from others around you? If so,

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

What events or times of year have you found yourself in

Patterns and trends:

Do these events have a certain cadence or regularity

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

How does it feel for you when you're in firefighter mode?

What can you do differently to prevent yourself from being

Do you need any support from others around you? If so,

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

How is 'service' characterised in your workplace?

Where have attempts at being 'in service' in your business

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

List the activities you perform on a regular basis from

What are the activities you do on a repeatable basis that

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

Your to-do list

Bonus resource: "Amplify the impact of your to-do list"

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

What tasks or activities do you know you need to let go of?

Who would be impacted by you stepping away from those

What would that allow you to do (for those same people

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

What do they typically do with that advice?

How does it make you feel?

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

Given your reflections above, with whom else in the

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

How might that be limiting your opportunities to move

What actions can you take to create that shift in

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

WWW.ALENABENNETT.COM.AU | © 2021 ALENA BENNETT

What are the ways in which you create value as a business