How to Become an AI-Powered Finance Leader—Fast

About a year ago, I started exploring how AI could actually support my day-to-day work as a CFO. I wasn’t trying to become an AI expert—I just wanted to understand how this technology could make me better, faster, and more strategic.

Now I use AI in my daily work, teach teams how to use it, and I'm building a business around it. And people are often surprised—how did I get there that fast?

In today’s newsletter, I want to share how I would start my AI journey, knowing what I know now.

I know many of you reading this are already well into your AI adoption journey.

If that’s the case, forward this to someone who’s just getting started—a colleague, team member, or finance friend who needs a smarter way to begin.

What I’d Do If I Were Starting My AI Journey in Finance Today

When I started to explore AI tools, the outputs were hit-or-miss, workflows felt clunky, and adoption was something you had to pitch. Today, everything’s different: tools are smarter, memory features work, and AI is showing up inside the platforms finance teams already use.

But despite all this momentum, I still meet finance leaders who know AI is important but don’t know where to begin.

If that sounds familiar—or if you're helping someone else get started—this is the exact roadmap I’d follow today.

Step 1: Get Access to the Right AI Tools

You can’t experiment with AI workflows in finance using limited, unsecured tools. Start with the right setup.

🔹 If you're inside a company:

Push for enterprise access to ChatGPT, Claude, or Microsoft Copilot
Use tools aligned with your stack:

Microsoft? → Use Copilot

Google Workspace? → Try Gemini

This gives you secure access and tight integration with your existing workflows.

🔹 If you’re solo or fractional:

Start with ChatGPT Plus and/or Claude Pro
Personally, I used both. Now, I mostly use ChatGPT—especially with the memory feature enabled.

Bonus tip: Use the desktop app for speed and shortcuts. But the browser version works great when you’re just getting started.

💡 Your organization likely already has some kind of AI access—check with IT or your manager before spinning up anything solo.

Step 2: Learn Your Tool First

Not all tools work the same. ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot each have their own quirks.

• Use official onboarding and tutorials from the vendor

• Search YouTube for 10-minute demos tied to your actual tools

• Apply what you learn immediately to a real task

Don’t waste time watching theory. Practice!

💡 Search for videos like "best tips and tricks for productivity with ChatGPT" on YouTube. Watch one or two per week, subscribe to creators you trust, and test features they explore—in your actual work.

Step 3: Set Your Usage Policy

Even if your company doesn’t have AI guidelines, you should. A future AI champion should lead by example.

• Never upload sensitive data into public AI tools

• Turn off any data-sharing options in ChatGPT or Claude

• Treat AI outputs as first drafts, not final answers

• Track time saved and quality improved—you’ll need it to make your case for expansion

Some think not having a policy gives more flexibility. In reality, it’s usually the opposite. Responsible leaders self-impose boundaries that protect trust and scalability.

💡Ask AI to help you draft a basic AI use policy for your team. Sometimes, leadership pushback comes from the perception that creating a policy is a big lift. AI can reduce the lift significantly 

Step 4: Use AI in the Work You Already Do

Don’t experiment with fake use cases. Start with tasks you already know inside and out.

Step 5: Build Your Personal “AI Stack,” Knowledge Base, and Community

As you gain experience, build a system that works for you.

• Save your best prompts

• Document the outputs that feel “like you”

• List repeatable workflows you want to scale

• Follow AI experts who test new tools so you don’t have to

💡 Create a “Finance AI Knowledge Base” in Google Docs or Notion.
Include prompts you like, use cases that worked, links to people, videos, or tools you want to try

AI is a gateway—not just to speed, but to leadership fluency.

Once you understand how AI reasons, what it gets wrong, and where it shines, you’ll ask better questions, make better decisions, and lead your organization through the AI transformation.

AI isn’t replacing the CFO.
But the CFO who learns AI now will be the one leading it later.

5 Prompting Mistakes + 5 AI Power Moves 

❌ Top 5 Mistakes Finance Leaders Make with AI

1. Being too vague

Bad: “Write a summary.”
Fix: “Summarize this board update for the CEO in 5 bullets with key metrics and risks.”

2. Asking for too much at once

Don’t prompt: “Create a board deck, update the model, and write commentary.”
Fix: Break it down: “What are 5 slides I should include?”

3. Ignoring tone and audience

AI sounds robotic unless you guide it.
Fix: “Write this in my voice—concise, confident, and CFO-level.”

4. Skipping context

Bad: “Rewrite this policy.”
Fix: “Rewrite this travel policy to make it easier for employees to follow, but preserve compliance with our vendor policy.”

5. Blind trust in AI outputs

Always review before sharing. Especially numbers.

✅ 5 Power Moves to Level Up Your Prompts

1. Prompt AI to write your prompt

“Write me a reusable prompt for summarizing monthly variance reports.”

2. Train it on your writing style

Upload past reports. Say: “Use this tone and structure moving forward.”

3. Ask for 3 versions

“Give me this in formal, conversational, and persuasive tone.”

4. Add structure to everything

“Turn this email into a 3-paragraph client update with bullets for key actions.”

5. Use follow-ups like a real assistant

“Now make it more concise.”
“Now add 2 potential risks.”
“Now, format for PowerPoint.”

Closing Thoughts

When I look back on how I started with AI, I didn’t have a master plan. I just tried one thing, then another. Some things worked. Some didn’t. But over time, the dots connected.

So don’t worry about doing it perfectly. Just start learning out loud. The clarity comes as you go.

I’m not the biggest expert out there—and honestly, some days, it feels like I know nothing at all.

But if this helped you—or helped you help someone else—I’m really glad we started here.

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Want to dive deeper into balanced AI adoption for your finance team? Or do you want to hire an AI-powered CFO? Book a consultation! 

Did you find this newsletter helpful? Forward it to a colleague who might benefit!

Until next Tuesday, keep balancing!

Anna Tiomina 
AI-Powered CFO