In our work with middle market companies, we see a pattern. Finance teams see the potential of AI, but many are slow to adopt it. Part of that is identity. Many accountants built their careers on being the best at reconciliations and spreadsheets, and a tool that does that work threatens what makes them valuable. Part of it is the calendar, because the close never stops and there is no slack to learn something new. Messy data makes early experiments disappointing, which confirms the doubts. And the profession rewards caution, so the safest move always looks like waiting. CEOs can change this with a few simple steps:
Start by giving explicit permission, in writing, to experiment and to fail.
Ask the team to choose the work they like least, the tasks that drain time without using their judgment. Have them write out the requirements and the use case, just as they would for any new system.
Approve the plan and the tools based on that use case, so nobody wonders what is allowed.
Launch the work right after close, when the calendar breathes. And tie it to growth, not headcount, so the goal is capacity, never cuts.
Over the next few years, AI will take on much of the work that fills a finance team’s month, from reconciliations and accruals to routine reporting. Teams that start experimenting now will shape that change instead of being overcome by it.
And the fear about identity has it backwards. As AI takes on more of the mechanical work, accountants remain the experts. They will finally have time for the most valuable part of the job, which is to apply their knowledge, exercise judgment, and help leadership decide where the company goes next.
If you need help integrating AI into your operations, contact our team.
