Paul BarnhurstFP&A Expert Empowering Finance Professionals to Excel Everday

Great leaders learn to navigate egos.

25 Sept 2026 · 0 min

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In this brief talk, the speaker identifies the most important soft skill for leaders in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A): the ability to navigate diverse personalities and egos within an executive team. As FP&A leaders ascend, they must interact with seasoned executives who each bring distinct backgrounds, ego levels, and problem‑solving approaches. The speaker emphasizes stepping back, recognizing these differences, and applying empathy, which can significantly improve collaboration and decision‑making.

What's the number one soft skill we need? Kind of talked the technical. What do you think the number one soft skill is? I think being able to navigate different kinds of personalities. I think as you become a leader in FP&A, you're dealing with an executive team that, hey, been there, done that, different kinds of egos, different kinds of way of problem solving. It's very nuanced. So I think being able to take a step back and understand that, hey, everybody's coming from different kinds of background and have a little empathy in that process goes a long way.