I got a great parcel in the post this morning. I thought the idea behind it was fantastic and it is going to change your zoom meetings forever. Ever curious (like all good finance business partners), I have taken another light-hearted look at lessons which we can learn from the situations we currently find ourselves in. 

Click on the video image link above to see what I’ve learned this week

I ignored government advice to take a staycation but suffered the consequences. and was lucky enough to spend last week in the South of France. Ever curious (like all good finance business partners), I have taken another light-hearted look at lessons which we can learn from the situations we currently find ourselves in. 

Click on the video image link above to see what I’ve learned this week

Mrs P has used lockdown to get me to do some decorating and ever curious (like all good finance business partners), I have taken another light hearted look at lessons which we can learn from the situations we currently find ourselves in.

Click and see what I’ve learned this week.

We’re still in lockdown (now slightly relaxed) and I am still trying to remain curious like all good finance business partners. I have therefore taken another light hearted look at lessons which we can learn from the situations we currently find ourselves in.

The UK has now been in lockdown for over 5 weeks with people having to change their behaviour significantly. Rather than a written blog I am guessing a lot of you are using online chat software and therefore have recorded a video of one of the lessons I have learned from the current London Lockdown.

I would like to send out a big thanks to those of you who took the time to vote for me as the 2020 UK Lecturer of the year. Working on business partnering projects doesn’t allow me to spend as much time with students as I would like and, it’s a great honour that you feel I still add value.

Having been voted a runner up twice for this award it’s great to finally win it and like to extend a big thanks to Graham and PQ for continuing to be the voice of the accounting student and long may they continue championing their cause.

I was recently at Generation CFO event in London. Chris the founder of Gen CFO was one of my students many moons ago and it is great to see how he has grown his following to nearly 80 000 and is listed as a LinkedIn influencer.

Have you adopted any of the suggested changes in behaviours suggested in one of my earlier blogs? If so and they are improving your interactions try the following for even more love; Don’t be selective in who you make feel important - Some people tend to save their nice side for people who they think are important and maybe don’t turn it on for people who they believe are beneath them

I’ve talked in previously about making a great first impression: Smile, make eye contact, be engaging. But first impressions can also quickly lose their impact, especially when there’s no substance beneath the veneer. Being genuinely likable over the long term is tougher. Building and maintaining great relationships, consistently influencing others in a good way and making people feel better about themselves, those are things relatively few people can do.

Increasingly automation and outsourcing of transactional accounting activities has removed many of the roles provided a traditional finance function and provides a real threat to the survival of a traditional accountant. To remain relevant finance has had to evolve into a new role, otherwise become an unnecessary overhead

Thanks for all of you who responded to my recent survey and I have summarised your views below. At a recent business partnering conference which I was facilitating I was shocked to find some delegates were previously working as management accountants and had been rebranded Finance business partners were looking to me to covert them into this new role in a couple of days. 

I recently was lucky to combine some work and pleasure on the North east coast of the USA indulging in my favourite food lobster. As a result of me paying quite different prices for essentially the same size of lobster it got me thinking on how one goes about working out the price of something – sad I know but we should always remain commercially curious!