Finance officers and the leadership imperative.

• Author: Zielke, Nancy
• Position: Changing role of government finance professionals

One of the pleasures of being GFOA president has been the opportunity to attend many of your state conferences and annual meetings. You have shared with me a common commitment to and passion for our profession. I, too, am passionate about and have a long-term commitment to GFOA. I embrace our mission to identify and develop financial policies and practices and then promote them through education, training, and, most importantly, leadership.

The role of government finance professionals is changing. The days when the finance director was the backroom number cruncher are gone. Our responsibilities now extend far beyond the traditional roles of accounting, budgeting, cash management, and other functional responsibilities. As such, we must step out of our comfort zones and into a leadership role in our organizations.

Chris Chronis, the CFO of Sedgwick County, Kansas, recently presented a challenge to the members of the Kansas GFOA. At the fall conference he said that "we must learn how to apply new tools and techniques to provide services more efficiently and with less risk" and that the "traditional skills aren't enough anymore."

So true. Finance officers have not always been viewed as organizational leaders. Traditionally, our role was to support decision making by the chief executive and senior managers. This has changed. We are now seen as integral members of the senior management team.

To be successful, we must acquire leadership skills to complement our technical proficiency in finance. GFOA needs to take an active role in examining the evolving role of finance officers, and it must develop the training and educational opportunities necessary to shape leaders.

Above all else, finance officers need credibility. To me, credibility and honesty are the heart of leadership. If you are honest, you are willing to acknowledge mistakes and personal faults, and you are open to suggestions for improvement. Being open, creative, and accepting allows new ideas to flower.

Finance officers must also demonstrate initiative and be risk takers. This includes putting our organizations ahead of our own success. We must apply to our organizations the practical tools GFOA has provided us through its inventory of best practices.

We need to welcome our expanded role and believe in our ability to make a difference in our organizations. We need to leverage our knowledge, skills, and expertise to create...