If You’re the Only One Who Sees the Numbers, You’re at Risk

Hi Reader,

We once worked with a CEO who had personally managed the finances of his business for more than 30 years. Everything ran through him, and no one else in the company understood the financial model.

When we finally convinced him to share the financials with his leadership team for the first time, something remarkable happened. In that very first meeting, one of the leaders spotted an opportunity in a revenue stream she hadn’t realized was so significant. She adjusted her priorities to support it, and within the first quarter, her changes generated an extra $50,000 in revenue. Even better? She created a process to optimize that revenue long-term.

That’s what happens when you move from solo ownership to shared understanding. He spent years holding the weight alone, but as soon as he opened it up to the rest of the team, they began organically moving in ways that strengthened their financial picture.

Why Leaders Hold it Close

In many organizations, especially those without a dedicated finance leader, a few leaders unintentionally become the sole guardians of the financial picture. It often comes from a good place. When we ask why they haven’t brought the rest of the organization along, we hear things like:

“I don’t want to burden the team. They have so much going on.’”
“They will just find it boring and too complex.”

But underneath those good intentions, there’s often fear:

What if they see something I can’t explain?
What if they misinterpret it and I create confusion?

Given these fears, it's an understandable impulse. You aren’t alone - most leaders have these concerns. The key is to not let these fears keep you from sharing.

Risks of Holding Financials Too Tightly

Keeping key financials and drivers siloed at the top might feel safe, but it creates significant challenges for your team, and can be very limiting in reaching your potential.

Missed Opportunities: Without the full picture, leaders stay focused on their department instead of the organization’s biggest levers.
Bottlenecked Decisions: Everything has to flow through one person, slowing things down and narrowing the path forward.
Eroded Trust: Even if intentions are good, limited transparency can create distance and suspicion among team members.

From Solo Ownership to Shared Ownership

If you want shared ownership on your leadership team, it starts with shared understanding.

Financial understanding doesn’t just belong to the finance department, it should live across the leadership team, and then they should be empowered to help everyone in the organization improve their understanding. When people understand how your organization sustains itself and what really drives impact, they show up differently. They make better decisions. They lead with more clarity and confidence.

We’ve seen it over and over again: leaders who take the time to teach their team how their business model works end up with a team that thinks more like owners.

Getting Started: How to Open Up the Financial Picture

You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. Here’s how to begin:

1. Start with the Why

Share why you want your team to understand the financial model - so they can positively influence it. Everyone brings a unique perspective and experience, and that diversity can lead to meaningful new insights.
Frame it as a move toward transparency, trust, and shared responsibility.

2. Keep it Simple

Avoid jargon - your goal is understanding, not impressing.
Use stories when possible, make it feel relatable.

3. Identify the Core Levers

Don’t start with the whole chart of accounts. Highlight the 3–5 most important revenue and cost drivers.
Explain how these numbers connect to the work they do every day.

4. Create Space for Questions

Expect confusion and curiosity. That’s a good sign - it shows engagement.
Invite questions and clarify concepts without judgment.

5. Make it Ongoing

Schedule regular reviews - quarterly at minimum.
Involve your team in forecasting, cost-saving ideas, or modeling new initiatives.
Celebrate when decisions made from shared insight lead to real wins.

Closing Thought

Letting go of control can feel risky. But when you trade secrecy for shared understanding, you unlock something much more powerful: a leadership team that’s aligned, engaged, and equipped to lead with you.

You don’t have to do it all alone. And your team? They’re more ready than you think.

- Shaun & Joe
www.6levers.co

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