Walking around a business can tell you a lot. Are people focused and moving with a sense of urgency? How is the safety record? Are a lot of people getting hurt? Are there clear goals and objectives posted on the walls? Do the operations look efficient or are there a lot of extra steps that don’t seem value added? You don’t have to have a sheet of paper with numbers to know. A strong management team will know if the business is operating at its potential or not.
So, when you hear that the reason a company is doing poorly is because the finance team isn’t functioning properly, it’s time to take out the BS detector and start challenging the excuses.
Yes, finance has a critical role in the success or failure of a company. If it is not functioning well, there are certainly a number of issues being missed in the company. But a poorly run finance department is not the root cause of a business’ problems. Rather, it is a symptom. So when you hear this commentary, dig deeper and find out what is really going on. Bigger problems lie underneath.