My current professional interests revolve around establishing flexible and sustainable financial and operational management in technological businesses, international development, automation of operations, and corporate finance topics. I hope that the experiences I have shared in this book will prove valuable to you and your companies, aiding in the creation of a team of likeminded individuals passionate about their work in a conducive corporate atmosphere. Above all, I aim to guide you, your colleagues, stakeholders, and your company to which you dedicate a significant part of your life, steering you on a path of development and improvement toward ambitious goals shared passionately by all involved parties.
Now, let’s turn to the theme and structure of the book. I’ve broken it down into ten chapters, each exploring the four key components of a financial leader’s work: people management, decision support, asset management, and risk control. However, it cannot be said that the first two or three chapters exclusively address HR issues, while the few subsequent chapters discuss decision-making, and so on. In reality, all chapters to a greater or lesser extent touch on issues related to these four components of the financial director’s activities. Traditionally, the finance department is considered a provider of information for management reporting, which, in turn, is essential for decision-making. Additionally, information from the management accounting system is used in preparing financial statements required for tax reporting and interaction with government authorities. Indeed, this is a significant but no longer the primary activity of financial professionals – as discussed in chapters on people management and motivation, working with shareholders and investors, and, of course, the chapter on decision support.
When talking about financial management, I primarily mean the efficient usage of one company’s resources through employee management and their motivation towards achieving common goals. This forms the core theme of the book, reflected in the title’s emphasis on «people» over «money». I firmly believe that employees are paramount, placing them above financial resources. Consequently, the theme of personnel management and motivation serves as the foundation for each chapter.