THE DECISION ROOM / ORIGINAL AAC EXERCISE
A full pipeline. A tight bank balance. Your move?
This fictional scenario is for practice, not a client result: sales look strong, a customer payment is uncertain, and a proposed hire would add a recurring cost. The team wants a yes or no today.
Choose the question you would ask first, then open it to compare the reasoning.
“Are sales ahead of target?”
Useful context, but it does not establish when cash will arrive or which payments are already committed. A sales result alone leaves the timing question open.
“What changes if the customer pays late?”
This tests the uncertainty in the scenario. Put expected receipts and committed payments on the same timeline, then compare the expected and delayed-payment cases. Make the assumptions visible before deciding.
“Can we delay every new expense?”
That is an option, but a blanket delay can hide tradeoffs. Identify which commitments are flexible, what a delay would affect and what evidence would justify moving ahead.
Turn the discussion into a next step.
Complete this sentence: “Before we decide on ___, ___ will verify ___ by ___.”
Choose an observable check: confirm the payment date, verify a committed amount, or compare two timing assumptions. Then set the date for the decision to be revisited.
Discuss a decision like thisOne scenario, not a universal decision rule. Your constraints and evidence determine the appropriate action.
ANOTHER ANGLE ON YOUR NUMBERS
Finance guides for a clearer conversation.
Use these starting points to identify what you know, what needs checking, and who owns the next step.
A cash visibility check.
- Confirm the opening cash balance and the date it represents.
- List expected receipts by timing, including which are uncertain.
- List upcoming payments, including payroll, tax, debt, and one-off commitments.
- Compare expected receipts and payments over the same periods.
- Review what changes if a receipt arrives late, and assign someone to update the assumptions.
Profit and cash answer different questions. A recorded sale may not yet be collected; a debt repayment uses cash without being the same as an operating expense.
Before you rely on a management report.
- Confirm the reporting period and whether the close is complete.
- Check that key balances have been reconciled and open items identified.
- Review unusual movements and separate timing effects from recurring changes.
- Compare actuals with the plan, stating which assumptions have changed.
- Write down the decision, the person responsible, and the next review point.
A report is more useful when readers can see its limitations and the action it is intended to support.
Bookkeeper, controller, or CFO?
Bookkeeping focuses on recording and maintaining transactions. Controller support focuses on close processes, reporting, and controls. CFO support connects forecasts and financial information with pricing, capital allocation, and growth decisions.
Responsibilities can overlap. Start with the work that is missing and agree how each person will contribute.
Compare CFO and controller supportGeneral business education; adapt the checks to your records, responsibilities, and professional advice.
OPTIONAL LEADERSHIP REFLECTIONS
Make room to think.
These tools are available without being a prerequisite for finance support or a conversation with AAC.
AAC PERSPECTIVE PROFILE
Get to know your patterns.
Sixteen original reflections, four preference scales, and experiments for your coaching conversation.
Explore the Perspective ProfileAAC LITE
A four-step check-in.
Notice your state, name your focus, and choose one thing you control. Review your plan and take it with you.
Open the clarity checkTHE NOISE LAB
Small experiments. Useful perspective.
Educational self-reflection, not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
FROM THE MIC
Conversations with David.
Episode titles below are the publishers’ titles. These conversations are perspectives to explore; their titles are not evidence validating AAC’s tools.
FEATURED CONVERSATION / OCTOBER 8, 2026
Tactical Harmony with Rebecca Fitzsimmons.
David joins Rebecca for a conversation about financial discipline, decisions under pressure, and the stories we tell ourselves. Explore three short moments from their interview, or watch the full conversation.
YouTube title: How to Think Like a CFO: Lessons for Every Leader.
Impact clips from the conversation.
01 / 12:00–12:54
Change the worst-case question.
“What happens if I’m lucky?”
David McKee
David describes how he began questioning the worst-case story and considering a more hopeful possibility.
Watch this moment on YouTube02 / 29:05–30:10
Notice how your problems have changed.
“You’re going to have a new set of problems.”
David McKee
A reflection on growth: new challenges can be a sign that you have moved beyond the ones you used to face.
Watch this moment on YouTube03 / 52:20–53:15
Put the story on paper.
“Write it down.”
David McKee
David shares how recording his thoughts helped him compare the story in his head with what was happening.
Watch this moment on YouTubeExcerpts from the original Tactical Harmony recording, hosted on Rebecca Fitzsimmons’ YouTube channel. Each player starts and stops at the selected passage.
TACTICAL HARMONY / REBECCA FITZSIMMONS
Why Stress Destroys Good Decisions (And How to Fix It) with David McKee
GET AUTHENTIC
Create an Authentic, Successful Business Blueprint
THE MINDSET PLAYBOOK
Crashing the Glass Ceiling
MIND OVER MASCULINITY
Mindset, Mental Health & Authenticity
EVEN TACOS FALL APART
Attention Spans & Navigating the Noise
OVERCOME
Navigate the Noise: Mindset & Mental Health
THE ZANTASTIC PODCAST
Neuroscience Hacks for ADHD & Overwhelm
STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
David McKee: Build, Reset, Repeat
LIFEVISION LAB
Rewire Your Mind: Neuroplasticity & Resilience
Navigate the Noise.
Continue exploring AAC's interactive experience.
Visit Navigate the Noise (new tab)