From finance managers to finance leaders.

• Author: Zielke, Nancy
• Position: President's message

Outside our professional circles, many have a hard time understanding how public finance officers could be passionate about their work. Yet you and I understand that we work at the vortex of public management, where limited resources are allocated to vitally needed services. This is why I am passionate about what I do every day at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and about what I hope to achieve for the GFOA members responsible for the fiscal affairs of the communities they serve.

On June 15, 2004, I had the great honor of becoming GFOA's 99th president. I am committed to continuing the tradition of excellence that has been established over the last century by the past presidents, executive boards, and staff members of GFOA. We are here to help you make a difference in your communities.

We need to learn how to become more than finance managers. We must aspire to become finance leaders. This is our challenge. As your incoming president, I will ask the Executive Board and the GFOA staff to focus on how the association can help finance officers become better leaders.

Leadership is not about power or position or title. It is about taking initiative and assuming responsibility. It is about cultivating one's ability to facilitate and influence effective decision making. And it is about building alliances and partnerships to tackle the complex issues that increasingly shape our communities and our daily lives. Regardless of our title or position, each of us can help shape the decision-making process in our respective organizations.

Many of us struggle with the difference between managing and leading. The hurdles we face require us to deal with many complex questions, including:

* How can we as finance officers exercise leadership and become valuable members of the senior management team?

* How do we develop leadership skills in ourselves and others?

* How can we integrate strategic thinking into day-to-day management?

By addressing such questions head on, GFOA can help finance officers better understand their role as leaders in their organizations. GFOA needs to explore new educational, research, and training opportunities in these areas to give finance officers the tools they need to lead effectively.

In my own career, I often become so busy with the challenges of day-to-day management that strategic thinking takes a back seat. Yet planning for strategic change can go a long way toward streamlining the very tasks that tend to obscure the...