Finance Personality Quiz

1. If I need help with something at work, I generally prefer to:

Have a collective team analyze the situation and gather the group's input to solve the scenario at hand.

Try to tackle it myself anyway, so it's done and out of the way.

Ask around to find the right answers I need to fill in the gaps.

Delegate it to the most appropriate person or team, if it's not me.

2. What is your reaction when a deadline is missed – whether you don't get something out in time, or somebody doesn't deliver to you in time?

It's painful. I pride myself on being efficient and timely with my work.

Stay late to finish it. Then figure out why the deadline was missed and solve for it to never happen again.

If it's close to being on time, I'm good with it.

Look at the big picture and determine the course of action to get the work done, even if it's late.

3. When a new process, technology, policy, or leader is introduced, how do you react?

It might take some time to accept, but I will get used to it. I try to assume the best intentions.

Be the first to embrace the change and work to ensure the collective group feels comfortable with the change.

It's always a little scary. It feels like what we have now works just fine.

I embrace it with a positive attitude.

4. Respond to this statement: I'm ok if my numbers don't balance within a 0.5% margin.

No way! I'm never ok if my numbers don't balance.

I'm ok with a 0.5%. That's close enough.

With the complexity of our financial processes, I'm super lucky if I'm only off by that.

Work to understand why our numbers aren't balancing and try to fix it so that it doesn't happen again.

5. When you get back from lunch and see yet another backlog of tasks for you or your team to process, your first inclination is to…

Figure out a better process to avoid persistent backlogs.

Delegate the tasks out to a group of colleagues.

Sit down and get to work. It's just part of my job and keeps me employed.

Figure out when it needs to be completed and plan my day around it accordingly.

6. When you get audited, you tend to…

Clam up. It's overwhelming to think about.

Roll up my sleeves and start preparing a plan for success.

Feel some anxiety that everything is accurate and jump in to help where needed.

Rally the team and devise the plan of attack.

7. It's 4:45pm and you were just tasked with a new project by end of day. Do you…

Stay and get it done. There's a reason it needs to be done tonight.

Knock it out with full effort – tonight, or first thing tomorrow, pulling in the help from others as needed.

Sigh – it would have been nice to leave on time for once, but ok.

Order dinner for the team and stay to get it done that night.

8. If you had an extra 5 hours at work per week, what task would you focus on?

Figure out a plan to lower our costs or increase efficiencies.

Dig into last quarter's numbers to identify trends and opportunities that can be acted upon.

Organize a team to work on preparing cash flow reports for the leadership team.

Finally tackle the lower priority or backlog work.

9. If you're having to chase down lost expense/invoice reports, how do you feel?

It's part of my routine, but it's still frustrating that it's not addressed.

Wastes my time. I could be so much more productive.

It happens, thankfully not too often.

It's fine and part of the job. I don't mind connecting with different or new people along the way.

10. When I have down time at work, I like to:

Catch up on educational materials (blogs, corporate trainings, etc.).

Completely unplug, go for a walk, and/or enjoy a breather.

Use the time to knock out a few quick tasks so I can get back on track.

Peruse the office, reengage stalled conversations and projects, or see if others need help.

11. I work best when I'm:

By myself working from home or in a small, quiet place or cubicle.

In a large group of people from various departments.

In a small group setting, such as my immediate team.

Actively taking a leadership role in my daily responsibilities.