An interview with…
Rita Akushie,
Chief Financial Officer, University of London
Your top tip for....
Managing work life balance..
Make sure you understand when in the day you are most productive and plan your tasks around that as best you can; you get a lot more done that way. I tend to plan my 'home' week ahead of time in the same way I plan my work week. Home week covers all main things, especially a menu for all the dishes I will cook that week!
Managing upwards..
For a CFO, it's critical you're on the same page as the CEO . You don't have to agree on everything but you need to learn to present a united front in a respectful way. I think investing time in understanding their expectation is important.
Overcoming nerves..
Focus on what you know and remind yourself how great you are! And don't put additional stress on yourself by overthinking and imagining all sorts of negative scenarios. Keep control of your thoughts and focus . Finally, make sure you always over prepare. The more time you invest in preparing, the less nervous you will get.
Writing a difficult report…
Set time aside and just start writing it ! Once you have written initial thoughts down, it is much easier to re-read, rearrange paragraphs, add to it etc . I got this tip from my son who is film/tv writer and writes every single day !
Successful public speaking…
Prepare well and make sure you know your material and then rehearse it and time yourself ! Also, do not leave the minor details until the last minute ( travel arrangement, presentation in different formats just in case, what will be appropriate to wear etc) - minor things going wrong on the day can take away your confidence .
Finally…what is your favourite motivational book?
I don't read motivational books or go out of my way to listen to motivational speeches. I find inspiration from very mundane and everyday interactions with people .
