Standing up revenue operations for a multi-billion dollar business

Recently on the podcast, I had the privilege of chatting with Jackie Meer , VP of Revenue Accounting Operations at Genesys, where she shared her unique Rubik’s Cube approach to solving problems, how Genesys is using automation, robotics, and AI to transform their end-to-end process, and why it’s so important to lead with empathy and bring your employees along for the ride.

Listen to the full episode here

Key takeaways

1. Embracing “opportunity to renewal”

In the fast-paced world of modern business, success hinges on not just understanding individual stages of the revenue process, but also recognizing the interconnectedness that defines it. This holistic perspective is captured so well in the concept of "opportunity to renewal." 

While traditional models emphasize the journey from "quote-to-revenue" or “quote-to-cash”, it's important to understand that revenue generation is not a linear path, but a dynamic and continuous cycle, much like we’ve talked about on the show previously. 

“I actually really think of it as “opportunity to renewal.” And the reason behind that is twofold. If you look at both spectrums in an integrated world, so much information can be captured at the opportunity level. So if you start from there and even leading with that empathetic stroke, if you're capturing that information from a customer basis and you do it at the opportunity and you effectively flow it through from the quote perspective, it can be a huge game changer.”

2. Embracing AI puts us ahead of the curve

There has been so much change in how and when we do work that embracing AI is more than a choice—it's a strategic imperative. How we think about AI should extend beyond automating routine tasks to how we can use it to transform every aspect of how we work and lead. Whether that be decision-making, automating processes, or gaining insights we may not get otherwise. 

By integrating AI into our workflows, we create a competitive edge for ourselves by being more agile, accurate, and forward-looking.

“So having your core fundamentals is always important. And not to forget that at the end of the day AI shouldn't do everything for us. That would be, you know, just too high of a risk and a control nightmare. And especially now in these coming years whether it's machine learning or AI or robotics, we've got to really leverage that. I think that's the big opportunity within accounting. And that's really, I think, where we're going to be headed more and more.”

3. Leading a team with empathy instead of fear

In a relentless pursuit of progress, it's easy to overlook the human aspect of leadership. We’ve all been there in one way or another, and Jackie reminds us that it’s crucial for long term success of our businesses and teams. 

Leading with empathy and sharing even a small "why" behind the decisions we make creates a shared sense of purpose and understanding throughout our teams. Empathy connects the essential human element of what we do with our strategic vision.

“ So really shaking that up, but in a way where if you get to know the person and can really drive empathetically. I've had 99.9% success in bringing them along for the ride and having them see the vision. I think context is key too. Providing the why are we asking this of you and context even a little bit, even if there's portions you can't give full disclosure on, little bits of context can go a really long way.”

4. Overcoming complacency through dynamic leadership

Complacency is the nemesis of growth, really in any industry, but especially in accounting. Shaking up the status quo is a foundational step toward building thriving accounting teams. 

This begins with adopting an empathetic leadership approach, one that fosters open communication and a genuine understanding of team members' concerns and aspirations, which provides us leaders with much needed perspective on all kinds of things we deal with on a day to day basis.

“Sometimes we need to slide individuals into a different role so that they can see. I feel like the risk of complacency is huge, certainly within an organization as far as are your products and services at risk of being complacent? There's also that element in the world of accounting, someone has been doing the same thing too long and either risks not really remembering why they do what they do or when challenged with it can't necessarily think outside of the box and are too ingrained in knowledge is power.”

5. Empowering cross-functional teams through divide and conquer

The notion that leaders must be omnipresent in every decision and meeting can be counterproductive and virtually impossible. A more effective strategy is to divide and conquer through trust. 

Cross-functional teams and leaders bring a diverse range of expertise and perspectives to the table, and by trusting them to execute their roles autonomously, leaders can focus their energy on other high-level things.

“If we can divide and conquer and really keep people focused. Work on bringing this back together and trying to do it seamlessly. And so part of the divide and conquer was to get a team to provide that stroke, that cord of relevancy, and get that seat at the table with the confidence that we need as to why we're there.”

Be sure to listen to the full episode of my conversation with Jackie here

About the author: 

Em Daigle is the VP and General Manager of Zuora Revenue. As a former revenue accountant turned tech executive, Em has always been fascinated by the intersection of accounting and technology. Her mission is to empower every corporate accounting team with the latest technology that enables completeness, accuracy, and real-time revenue visibility, while getting accountants out of “Ex-Hell” and allowing them to focus on analytics and business partnering.

Follow Em on LinkedIn for insights that help accounting leaders evolve their career, modernize their teams and become more influential partners to the business.