Building a High-Performing Finance Team: Why Skill, Personality, and Culture All Matter
- Erin Wright
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
For growing businesses, building a capable finance team is often seen as a technical exercise.
Hire strong accountants, ensure compliance, and produce accurate reporting.
That is necessary, but it is not sufficient.
The difference between a finance team that simply reports numbers and one that drives performance across the business comes down to three factors working together: skill set, personality fit, and culture.
“A technically strong finance team can still fail the business if it cannot influence it.”
For organisations in the $1m to $25m range, this becomes a critical inflection point. As
complexity increases; finance must evolve from a back-office function into a commercial partner.
Beyond Technical Skills: The Missing Piece in Finance Teams
Most hiring decisions in finance focus heavily on qualifications and experience. While these are essential, they only address part of the equation.
Finance roles vary significantly. A transactional accounts officer requires precision and consistency. A management accountant needs analytical capability and commercial awareness. A CFO or finance lead must influence strategy and decision-making.
Matching skill set to role is important. But without the right personality fit, performance is limited.
“The wrong personality in the right role still creates friction.”
For example, a highly detail-oriented individual may excel in compliance and reporting but struggle in a stakeholder-facing role that requires influencing operational leaders. Conversely, a commercially minded finance professional may be strong in strategy but ineffective in roles that demand structured, process-driven execution.
The objective is not just capability. It is alignment between the role and how the individual naturally operates.
Why Personality Fit Drives Performance
As finance teams grow, interaction with the broader business increases. Finance is no longer isolated. It is embedded across operations, sales, and leadership.
This is where personality becomes critical. A finance team that communicates clearly, builds relationships, and understands operational realities is far more effective than one that simply enforces rules.
“Finance does not create value by saying no. It creates value by helping the business make better decisions.”
Personality influences:
How financial insights are communicated
How well finance partners with other departments
The level of trust the business places in financial advice
Without this alignment, even accurate insights can be ignored or resisted.
The Cultural Challenge: Finance as the “Barrier”
In many growing businesses, finance is viewed as a constraint. The team is often perceived as:
Too rigid
Focused on control over progress
Out of touch with operational realities
This perception is not always fair, but it is common. It typically arises when finance is positioned as a gatekeeper rather than a partner.
“If finance is only seen as the function that says no, the business will find ways to work around it.”
When this happens, the organisation loses one of its most valuable capabilities. Financial discipline becomes disconnected from operational decision-making.
Repositioning Finance as the Organisation’s Coach
High-performing finance teams adopt a different stance. They position themselves as coaches to the business, not controllers of it.
This does not mean removing discipline or oversight. It means changing how finance engages.
A coaching-oriented finance team:
Explains the “why” behind decisions, not just the outcome
Supports operational leaders in understanding financial implications
Works alongside the business to improve performance
“The best finance teams don’t block decisions. They shape them.”
This shift builds trust. It allows finance to influence outcomes earlier, rather than reacting after the fact.
Building the Right Culture Within the Finance Team
Culture starts internally before it can influence the broader business.
A strong finance team culture is built on:
Accountability for numbers and outcomes
Commercial awareness, not just technical accuracy
Open communication and collaboration
However, culture is also shaped by leadership.
If finance leaders prioritise control over collaboration, the team will follow. If they prioritise partnership and understanding, the team will evolve accordingly.
“Culture is not what finance says it is. It is how the business experiences it.”
For growing businesses, this is particularly important. The finance team often sets the tone for how performance is measured and discussed across the organisation.
Practical Signs of a Misaligned Finance Team
Misalignment between skill, personality, and culture tends to show up in subtle ways.
You may see:
Strong reporting but limited impact on decision-making
Tension between finance and operations
Financial insights being ignored or challenged
Over-reliance on leadership to resolve basic decisions
These are not purely technical issues. They are structural and cultural.
Getting the Balance Right
Building a high-performing finance team requires deliberate design.
It involves:
Aligning roles with both technical requirements and personality fit
Hiring for communication and commercial capability, not just qualifications
Setting clear expectations around how finance engages with the business
Most importantly, it requires redefining the role of finance.
“Finance should not sit outside the business looking in. It should sit within the business helping it perform.”
Final Thoughts
For growing businesses, finance is one of the most powerful levers for performance. But its impact depends on how it is structured and how it operates.
Technical capability is essential. Without it, there is no foundation.
But on its own, it is not enough. The real value is created when:
The right people are in the right roles
Personalities align with responsibilities
The team operates with a culture of partnership, not control
“A great finance team does more than report performance. It improves it.”
Need Support?
If your finance team is producing numbers but not influencing outcomes, it may be time to reassess its structure and positioning.
At Ordinis Advisory, we work with growing businesses to build finance functions that go beyond reporting and actively drive performance across the organisation.
If you would like to review your team structure or reposition finance as a commercial partner, get in touch for a confidential discussion.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not take into account your specific circumstances. It is not intended to constitute advice. Before acting on any of the matters discussed, you should consider whether it is appropriate for your situation and seek professional advice where necessary.
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