Take Five with Matt O’Hanlon.

Meet virtual CFO Matt O’Hanlon.

Welcome to “Take Five with…”— where we explore unexpected ideas from interesting people. Whether you’re looking for fresh perspectives or intriguing recommendations for your reading, watching, listening, or doing pleasure, “Take Five with…” delivers big ideas in bite-sized chunks. So grab a coffee, get comfortable, and Take Five with Kearney Group’s Director of CFO Advisory Services and Virtual CFO Matt O’Hanlon.

A book Matt thinks you should read.

Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman. 

There are many interesting concepts in this book, which acts as a practical guide for entrepreneurial businesses to gain control, achieve their vision and grow. 

One of the ideas that really stuck with me is the author’s explanation of the two distinct leadership roles essential for an organisation’s success: the Visionary and the Integrator. This concept acknowledges that while many businesses have strong ideas and creativity at the top, they also need focused execution to bring those ideas to life.

So visionary and Integrator – which are you?

An activity you should try.

Exercise or sport.

I’ve always been involved in sport and teams. Some of my richest learning experiences and proudest achievements have come from being part of the sporting community.

I’ve also found strong parallels between my sports background and my work in business. For example, in my role as a virtual CFO / CFO Adviser, I draw heavily from my experience with the high-performance mindset of athletes and from my understanding of building effective, trusting teams in sports settings. These insights can often translate directly to the boardroom, where they help me guide teams toward success.

An emerging trend to watch.

AI and automation.

We’re busier than ever—at home, at work, and at play—and AI is transforming how we live and run our businesses. 

For many of our clients, advances in artificial intelligence and automation are enabling unprecedented growth, scalability, and improvement. 

As Advisers, we’re also facing a time of great (AI-induced) change. For example, clients now expect real-time data and information, with the same depth of detail, insight and expert analysis that we’ve always provided as their trusted financial and business advisors.

Whether you find AI exciting or terrifying, one thing’s clear: it’s not going anywhere. So as businesses, we need to keep pace and understand how this trend is going to shape our future.

A hobby you can learn from.

Gardening.

I’ve recently begun some (very amateur) gardening, including care for my newly laid Kikuyu lawn.

Caring for a garden and lawn, like any new life, takes patience, commitment, effort and lots of water and sunshine!

A saying to reflect upon.

“When all is said and done, more is said than done” – Neale Daniher.

This philosophy (also the title of Neale’s autobiography) is one I try to embody in all aspects of life. I aim to be the person who follows through, whose actions match my intentions and who cares and works hard to deliver to everyone around me.