357: Establishing Your Data Culture | Phong Le, CFO, MicroStrategy

More finance leaders are discovering how greater numeric transparency across the organization can have a positive impact on employee engagement and morale. CFO Phong Le tells us just which numbers should be shared and how they should be shared is what may distinguishes one CFO’s brand of leadership from another’s.

• Phong Le's background: Started as an engineer, moved to business school, then finance consultancy. He highlights the importance of diverse backgrounds for credibility and leadership.
• Career trajectory: Worked in IT, transitioned to financial planning and analysis (FP&A), led finance at various companies like Nexel International and EXO Communications, finally becoming CFO at MicroStrategy.
• Finance's evolution: Emphasizes the shift from a budgeting/cost-cutting role to a strategic business partner, using data transparency, sharable dashboards, and empathetic FP&A to drive decisions.
• MicroStrategy's focus: A pioneer in data intelligence, leveraging analytics and cloud technology to provide tailored, easily accessible solutions for businesses.
• Leadership philosophy: Advocates for transparency, evidenced by openly shared metrics across the company, creating a culture where decisions are driven by insights rather than just perfecting analyses.