Only knowledge is not enough

As a controller, you can create amazing and accurate analyzes and write reports with tons of good advice, but if the advice does not reach the right manager and that manager does not start working with it, you have achieved nothing. Only knowledge is not sufficient. 

Empathy and leadership 

Empathy and effectiveness are important aspects of a Controller’s communication skills. The Controller can empathize with the topics, agenda, doubts, tasks, and questions of managers even when they have a different scope of work activities than the Controller himself. 

“And then the importance of leadership, which is different from ‘being in charge’. Leadership means that you successfully manage the perceptions and motivation of other people.” 

An SME example:

Where does the controller come into play?

Let’s take the example of a Controller working in an SME environment. The entrepreneur him or herself is often working in a high paced environment, and sometimes things fly off their radar, simply because there is no time, nor the resources or knowledge within the company. 

Implement improvements - find common ground

So, they hire a Controller to analyze the company thoroughly, and since a Controller is not only about analysis and an advice report, what some may think about consultants, the changes recommended are actually implemented by the Controller as well. 

Let’s say at some point the Controller is working closely with the production manager to optimize part of the production linked to finance. Not everyone appreciates someone to meddle in their field of expertise and therefore it is crucial for a Controller to show empathy and leadership, to find common ground for implementing the optimizations and changes. 

Leadership and empathy 

Leadership is about successfully managing the perception and motivation of others involved in the improvement of the business results. A Controller makes people aware of the financial consequences in each department of the business, each in their own way affecting your business results. 

As soon as the manager and colleges are awareness of the effects, than we can start working on the steps to improve the way they work: when people realize that the current approach has a negative effect on the result, that exact awareness forms the base for the motivation to change.

Controller-for-a-day is your part-time Controller in Spain. Joris van der Heijden provides guidance and implementation of financial and business control for European small-medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in The Netherlands and Spain.

Controller-for-a-Day - Make your business run fluently.