01

Can your team rely on the finance function?

Your leadership team may understand the difference between profit and cash and still struggle to get accurate reports, clear ownership, or useful forecasts. Financial understanding helps people make better decisions. A dependable finance function gives them information they can use.

The Financial Game series explains the economics behind everyday decisions. This checkup asks whether the function supporting those decisions works consistently.

A report delivered late, a forecast nobody updates, or an unclear approval process can leave the team reacting. The useful question is where the system needs attention and who owns the next improvement.

02

Look at six connected areas

  • Leadership & Accountability
  • Financial Systems & Processes
  • Great Game / Open-Book Management & Financial Literacy
  • Scorecard & Measurables
  • Forecasting & Cash Flow
  • Risk Management

The areas have different numbers of questions. Look at each area on its own and read the individual gaps. A strong average could hide an important weakness in cash planning or internal controls.

03

Answer with evidence

Answer for what happens reliably today. A recent financial package, an updated forecast, or a process people actually follow is better evidence than an intention.

If you don't know, say so. That identifies something to verify. Choose Not applicable only when you can explain why a practice does not fit your business. It is excluded from the percentage and stays visible in the report.

Your report shows the percentage of practices you confirm in each area, along with gaps, unknowns, and items you marked Not applicable. Use the results to organize your conversation. They are not validated benchmarks, an audit, or a measure of your company's financial health.

04

Compare answers before choosing an action

Complete the checkup separately, then talk through the differences with your finance leader or leadership team. One person may believe a forecast is current while another has never seen it. That difference is worth understanding before assigning more work.

Sharing useful financial context does not require disclosing individual compensation or opening every ledger. Teach the economics and share the information people need for their decisions while protecting confidential details.

Use the weekly Scorecard and your existing Level 10 Meeting® to surface exceptions and solve issues. Keep the detailed monthly financial review as its own conversation. Not every financial question belongs on the weekly agenda.

05

Choose one move your team can own

A checkup should make the next step clearer. Choose one gap, name an owner, and agree on the evidence that will show progress. Some gaps need routine follow-through. An important improvement that deserves focus over the next 90 days may become a Rock.

A high percentage does not make an urgent cash, payroll, tax, or fraud concern less important. Review those concerns promptly with the appropriate adviser regardless of the score.