The Power of Developing a Strong Finance Team that Shows Proven Results:
In any business, the backbone of organisational success lies in the strength of its finance team. Navigating financial landscapes, making informed decisions, and strategically managing resources are just a few important tasks your team needs to know how to implement. But how do you start building this dream team? No need to stress. In this blog, we’ll break down all the answers and provide solutions like Finance training or implementing basic Accounting skills necessary for your team to stay ahead of the game.
From understanding the importance of a strong finance team to exploring available finance courses, we’ll highlight the key elements that contribute to proven results. We’ll shed light on how to develop a strong finance team, why it is important to have various staff members involved in finance and insights into how to evaluate team performance. Join us as we dive into the impact of financial teams and how they can unlock doors for your business.
What is the Importance of a strong finance team:
Without a solid financial team, the business you have tirelessly worked on will suddenly start to sink. Just imagine navigating the world of business without keeping track of your resources, making spontaneous, feels-good-in-the-moment decisions, and not worrying too much about being compliant. While your business idea may be great, your company won’t last very long.
However, there is a lifeboat, and this is your finance team. These are the people who are skilled and trained to know how to keep a company financially afloat. They know about various areas of finance, strategic decision-making, risk management, resource allocation, compliance, and governance, cost management, financial planning, forecasting, and so much more. With all these tools in hand, you can be ready to keep your business going for many years to come. Ready to get a team like this on board your ship? Then read on to find out more!
The effect of financial management on the overall business success:
Now that we know the importance of having a dream financial team, we’re going to unpack why financial management is just as important. Financial management in a nutshell involves the strategic planning, organising, directing, and controlling of an organisations financial resources. It therefore involves a set of activities and decisions needed to efficiently manage the financial aspects of a business. These tasks are usually completed by Financials managers, CFOs (Chief Financial Officers), and other players within the financial team. Financial management is important as it lays the right foundation to achieve business goals and objectives.
How to develop a strong finance team:
It’s time to start thinking about how to get the right team together! You can do this in a few different ways. You can hire employees with the right knowledge and top financial skills, retain talent that already has these skills, or implement training for individuals who show great potential for this sector of your business. Here’s a breakdown of each of these methods:
1. Hiring employees with top finance skills
For those with little knowledge of the finance industry, it can be hard to know what to look for when putting together your team. You might not even know the difference between finance and accounting. (Accounting involves systematic recording, reporting, and analysis of financial transactions while finance is more forward-thinking and involves broader actions that help make strategic decisions and ensure long-term success. You’re welcome!).
But what specific skills does your financial team need? Here are a few key things to look out for. The first is financial analysis. This involves analysing financial documents and forming insights for decision-making. Another is to be proficient in accounting principles and practices. Microsoft Excel training and knowledge are crucial to look out for to know that an individual knows how to implement these skills. Other essential skills include budgeting and forecasting, risk management, financial reporting, technology proficiency, communication skills, and strategic thinking.
2. Retaining top talent
Retaining talent in South Africa can feel like a losing battle. The markets are competitive, other companies are offering more attractive packages or your talent may be looking for better opportunities overseas. To make matters worse statistics show that it costs more money to hire a new employee than to retain one.
But this nightmare doesn’t have to carry on. There are various methods you can use to retain your best employees. You can offer a compensation package that is relevant to the financial market by regularly reviewing market trends and employee performance. Performance-based bonuses, profit sharing, or stock options are other great ways to keep your employees motivated.
Additional strategies include creating career paths so they can see what their future looks like at your company, implementing a work-life balance, and ensuring your staff has challenging projects that are continuously improving their growth.
3. Implementing training in finance to teams
Retaining talent can be more cost-effective than hiring new talent. This may also be true when promoting talent within your company. Current Employees are already familiar with how you operate, know your goals, and are more likely to stick around if offered career growth.
Training staff members into a new role can feel unpredictable. However, you can rest assured knowing that once you’ve placed confidence in your employee’s abilities they will usually rise to the occasion. Effective training is the key to making sure your staff becomes efficient in the role that you want them to fill.
There are various training options in the world of finance. There are qualifications, short courses, and soft skills programmes. The beauty of soft skills programmes is that they can be tailor-made to your specific needs. This cuts out time spent on material that you don’t need and spends more time on targeted training.
Why is it important to have various people trained in finance:
It’s a common misconception that finance should be reserved only for finance people. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Finance is a skill that everyone needs to know to perform basic skills in life – think taxes, budgeting, etc. As a person in business, this becomes even more essential. Understanding what is going on in your business will only help you make more informed decisions.
Getting everyone else on your team onboard can be even more beneficial. For starters, finance training can open up ideas from a range of perspectives in your business. This is especially crucial for decision-making purposes and innovation strategies. Furthermore, everyone’s understanding of basic finance could lead to risk mitigation. With so many people aware of what to look out for, there will be less chance of oversight.
How to Measure and Evaluate Team Performance:
To know whether you have your financial dream team or not, it is important to regularly measure and evaluate your team’s performance. By doing so you will increase productivity, identify areas of improvement, and recognize achievements. Here are a few of the most common methods of evaluation:
1. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
KPIs are measurable values that an organization can use to track and evaluate its progress toward specific goals. This is given in quantitative measurements and is, therefore, easier to bring your attention to areas that need improvement and make better decisions. Overall, KPIs are great for accountability, data-driven decisions, and focusing on what matters most. KPIs are usually determined based on a company’s priorities and can therefore vary across different departments.
For the financial sector, common KPIs include financial metrics (e.g. revenue and cost savings.), operational metrics (e.g. Efficiency ratios and project completion time), customer satisfaction metrics, and employee engagement and satisfaction.
Another benefit to investing in your team is showing them that you value their development, therefore improving their job satisfaction and creating job retention.
2. Individual Goals and Development Plans
It’s easier to put the work in when you know what you are working towards. Individual goals are an effective way of aligning individual performance with overall team performance. When employees have clear, specific goals that contribute to the collective aims of the team it ensures every team member is working toward one shared purpose. This helps you measure the effectiveness of an individual’s contribution to the team overall.
Development plans on the other hand are tools that you can use to identify an employee’s individual growth and skills development over time. It maps out potential growth opportunities for your staff later down the line. This gives your employee the feeling that they are appreciated and that their growth is valued by the company. This ensures that your company creates a cohesive, high-performing team where individual contributions are recognized and everyone is moving towards a specific goal.
3. Team Surveys and feedback
Sometimes the best way to know how a team is performing is to just ask. By using team surveys and feedback you will gain a comprehensive and cohesive perspective on how your teams are performing. You’ll gain insights into team dynamics, communication, and overall employee satisfaction. This will uncover strengths and weaknesses, areas of improvement, and identify challenges that are hindering performance.
These can be done by consulting team members directly, getting feedback from managers, or gaining insights anonymously. This will promote a culture of openness and transparency which will help foster trust within your team and improve processes for the good of the whole team.
Finance Training to get your team started:
If you are looking for the right training provider for your finance learning needs, then you have come to the right place. Edge Training offers a wide variety of finance courses that can be tailor-made to your staff’s needs. Here are a few of our most popular finance courses:
1. Basics to the Preparation of AFS and Management Accounts:
This course is beneficial to provide your staff with a foundational understanding of accounting principles, financial reporting, and management accounting practices. This is especially essential for those involved in preparing and interpreting financial statements which are crucial for the decision-making within your business.
Furthermore, this course equips individuals with the skills that are needed to create Management Accounts which offer insight into the financial performance and position of the business. This is valuable for strategic planning, budgeting, and assessing the impact of management decisions on the business’s financial health.
Overall, the course is suitable for enhancing financial literacy, developing effective financial management, and is essential for professionals in finance, accounting, and managerial roles.
2. Finance for Non-Finance Managers:
As mentioned earlier, finance isn’t restricted to those that have studied it. Learning finance can be just as beneficial for those who aren’t finance professionals. Our course empowers individuals from different backgrounds with essential finance knowledge and skills.
Those who are involved in decision-making but don’t have a background in finance may benefit by being able to understand and interpret financial information. You’ll learn finance fundamentals, budgeting, financial statement analysis, and the basics of investment decisions. By gaining insight into these financial metrics and key performance indicators, non-financial managers can make more informed decisions that align with long-term business goals.
Overall, this course helps its learners bridge the gap between financial and non-financial roles which promotes a holistic understanding of the business’s financial landscape. It is suitable for business leaders, team managers, strategists, entrepreneurs, or any other individual who would like to gain a better understanding of finance.
3. Introduction to Pastel/Xero and QuicBooks Accounting:
Knowing the tricks of the trade in accounting will only get you so far if you don’t know the most commonly used software in the accounting world. That’s right, Pastel/Xero and Quicbooks are software platforms that are widely used for financial and accounting purposes within many businesses. Our course will give you practical, hands-on experience that will be directly applicable in many workplaces.
Learning how to use these platforms gives an individual the ability to manage financial transactions, automate accounting processes, and generate accurate and timely financial reports. This will streamline accounting tasks and enhance overall financial management within your organization.
Overall, this course will aid in enhancing accounting and financial management processes as well as equip individuals with valuable software knowledge that will make them an asset to any company.
4. Budgeting and Cashflow Forecasting:
Along with learning how to cook or drive a car, learning how to budget can be an integral part of knowing how to navigate not only business but life as well. Budgeting is an essential part of financial management which focuses on planning and allocating resources effectively. Understanding budgeting principles gives an individual the tools to create financial plans, set financial targets, and monitor performance against established goals.
Cash flow forecasting on the other hand helps your business predict future cash inflows and outflows which gives you valuable insights into liquidity needs and potential financial risks. With this skill in your toolbox, you can anticipate cash shortages, identify investment opportunities, and make informed decisions to optimize cash management.
Overall, this course is beneficial for individuals who need essential financial skills for better financial management and strategic decision-making within an organization.
5. Introduction to Bookkeeping:
Bookkeeping is an essential tool for those who are looking to understand the foundational principles and practices of accounting. Essentially, bookkeeping is a systematic recording of financial transactions. With this skill in hand, an individual will learn the basics of maintaining financial records. You’ll learn concepts such as debits and credits, ledger entries, and the double-entry accounting system.
By learning these skills, you will know the fundamentals of creating and maintaining organised and accurate financial records which are crucial for financial management and compliance. This course is suitable for individuals who want to engage in personal finance, finance for small business ownership, or those pursuing a career in accounting.
6. Introduction to Value Added Tax (VAT):
Two things are certain in life, dying and paying taxes. While this is just a funny joke, the implications are spot on. Value Added Tax or VAT for short is a significant component in any country’s tax system and understanding how it works is crucial to ensure that you meet tax regulations.
In our course, we provide insight into how VAT works, its implications on pricing and financial transactions, and the related compliance requirements. Since VAT is a common indirect tax used globally, learning its fundamentals will enhance your employability, particularly in finance, accounting, and business roles. As for your business, understanding VAT will help you manage finances more effectively, and ensure proper invoicing, reporting, and compliance to avoid penalties and legal issues.
Overall, by enrolling in this course you will gain the essential skills needed to navigate the complexities of taxation and make informed financial decisions.
More about Edge Training:
Edge Training is an accredited training provider with 24 years of experience in the training and skills development industry. We have a heart for people and put effort into making sure this translates into everything that we do. Our mantra, and motto that we live by is to add value to the businesses we work for while changing the lives of our students.
We offer accredited learnerships, QCTO occupational qualifications, accredited short courses, soft skills workshops, and online training. As an exciting new addition to our catalog, we will be offering finance courses that can be customised to your business needs and completed over a one or two-day period. To start your journey in finance reach out to one of our representatives today by clicking the link here or calling +27 87 135 5543. We can’t wait to hear from you!