Issues Faced by New Finance Directors Presented by Ron Carr, City of Perris Finance Director

Why do Finance Directors Fail? 1. Lose credibility 2. Politics 3. Misunderstand their role 4. Style clash with the City Manager 5. Too much change too quickly/not enough change

Key Issues 1. Personal Transition 2. Establishing Credibility 3. Dealing with inherited problems 4. Finding the Information You Need 5. Public Exposure 6. Interactions 7. Dealing with Politics

Personal Transition From Team Member to Team Leader From Expert to Teacher From “Excel” to “Word” From Enforcer to Persuader From Department Member to Community Member From Short-term Thinker to Long-term Thinker

Establish Credibility Put this very high on your priority list Don’t guess. Say “I don’t know….but I’ll find out” Facts not opinions Avoid the Blame Game Don’t Criticize your Predecessor Say what you do; do what you say Never stop building credibility

Inherited Problems Difficult employee(s) Poor interdepartmental relations Outdated system Distrust of the Finance Department Inadequate internal controls Understaffing They belong to you now. Deal with them. Use your honeymoon period if you have to.

Information Overload It’s probably been done before….find it Conferences/Workshops Websites/Listservs Network with your peers Mentor(s) Expand your horizons beyond finance Attend other Council meetings News search on the Web

Public Exposure Create Interest Get in front of the City Council Find a visible problem and solve it Establish a good relationship with the local media Always give credit where credit is due (and even sometimes when it isn’t)

Interactions New interactions: City Manager/Dept Heads Knowledge = Power…Use it for good not evil Avoid the number-cruncher/green eyeshade stereotype Expand your scope beyond just the Finance Department

Politics Change is continuous (or at least bi-annual) Be politically astute, not political Beware of election season Stay unaligned Know your Council Learn to deal with community activists