Types Of People Who Fail In Finance Part III
- The Apathetic Cyborg
Apathetic cyborgs do not care; they will work only as much as needed to prevent being fired – nothing more. In a setting where people are rushing to meet deadlines, the apathetic cyborg never displays passion. Don’t bother telling him or her anything of importance, as it’s going out the other ear.
- Why they fail:
The apathetic cyborg is perpetually uninformed. It doesn’t matter if the CFO repeatedly blasts emails about the importance of complying with Sarbanes-Oxley, or that 12% is the new cost of equity for the company. The apathetic cyborg risks non-compliance with critical regulatory statutes, or provides field operators with the wrong cost of equity percentages to use to evaluate new projects. Because the apathetic cyborg is out of the loop, pretty soon he or she be out of the company.
- Parting Thoughts
If you want to succeed in finance and within your organization, constantly gather feedback from your peers and managers. There are unique issues and objectives that are critical within finance: teamwork, meeting deadlines on reports, alignment with organizational objectives, excel prowess and clear understanding of initiatives (Sarbanes-Oxley compliance). If you know where you stand, you will be in a position to take concrete action to improve certain areas. Finance is a competitive field and there are not that many chances given to those who are on the radar for getting the boot.