#217 The Blueprint for a High-Performing Finance Team with Damian Smith, GrowCFO Mentor

#217 The Blueprint for a High-Performing Finance Team with Damian Smith https://open.spotify.com/episode/4bLrSTnZuprXVZcK4eSF4s Damian Smith, a GrowCFO Mentor, joins the Grow CFO Show to discuss the blueprint for building a high-performing finance team. In today’s dynamic business landscape, the need for finance teams to operate at peak efficiency has never been more crucial. Effective finance teams not only drive financial success but also play a pivotal role in shaping the overall success of an organization. Damian, a seasoned finance professional turned leadership coach, shares his unique perspective on transforming dysfunctional finance teams into thriving, purpose-driven units. Drawing from his own experiences as a “recovering toxic CFO,” Damian delves into the core principles of the Thrive methodology, a comprehensive approach to cultivating high-performing teams. He emphasizes the importance of trust as the foundation for building a cohesive and collaborative team, as well as the need to align team purpose, values, and goals to drive commitment and accountability. Throughout the discussion, Damian shares practical strategies for finance leaders to address the challenges of dysfunctional teams. He highlights the significance of fostering a culture of healthy conflict and open communication, where team members feel empowered to voice their perspectives and work towards the best possible outcomes. Additionally, Damian underscores the importance of embedding values and accountability into the recruitment and onboarding process to ensure a strong cultural fit and a shared commitment to the team’s objectives. Key topics covered: Damian’s journey from a toxic CFO to a leadership coach and the lessons he learned along the way The importance of trust as the foundation for building a high-performing team Aligning team purpose, values, and goals to drive commitment and accountability Fostering a culture of healthy conflict and open communication Embedding values and accountability into the recruitment and onboarding process Practical strategies for finance leaders to transform dysfunctional teams https://youtu.be/fmC7hZbVhhs Links Damian Smith on LinkedIn Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn GrowCFO Mentoring Timestamps 0:00:50 – Introductions and initial chit-chat 0:09:03 – Damian’s background and journey from toxic CFO to leadership coach 0:20:54 – The importance of trust in building high-performing teams 0:27:08 – Aligning team purpose, values, and goals 0:38:39 – The Thrive methodology and its key components 0:48:31 – Advice for finance leaders with dysfunctional teams Find out more about GrowCFO If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favorite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode. GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars. Premium members can also access our extensive training center and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enroll in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programs here. You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net