Originally aired December 17, 2025 on Extropy On AIr.
The best CFO resolutions aren’t aspirations like “be more strategic.” They are commitments that force decisions, trade-offs and accountability. In this episode, Kevin Zirkle and Mike Jasper each share five resolutions every finance leader should consider, from embedding AI to killing critical spreadsheets, and their advice for making them stick: pick three and execute.
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The 10 CFO resolutions at a glance
- Embed AI into finance. No more pilots
- Cut manual finance work by at least 25%
- Eliminate critical spreadsheet dependency
- Close the risk control gaps in source-to-pay and order-to-cash
- Modernize cash forecasting
- Make vendor and customer experience a finance priority
- Drive toward touchless transactions
- Upskill the entire finance team, not just leaders
- Move finance from reporting to advising
- Build a finance ecosystem, not a tool set
The resolutions, explained
1. Embed AI into finance. No more pilots
Stop treating AI as an innovation lab experiment. Many finance platforms already have AI built in for invoice classification, duplicate detection, payment behavior prediction and exception handling. Mike notes that “exploring and piloting” has been the top survey answer for three years running, a sign that teams are stuck. AI should make work disappear, quietly, for the people using it. (Kevin’s pick)
2. Cut manual finance work by at least 25%
Put a number on it, because what gets measured gets addressed. Many teams don’t know where their manual work lives, and automation projects often just shift it before, during or after the process. Review every human touch and ask whether it adds value. If it does, standardize it. If it doesn’t, remove it rather than automating it, because anything you automate can still fail. (Mike’s pick)
3. Eliminate critical spreadsheet dependency
Spreadsheets aren’t evil, but when they become system critical, finance is exposed. Every spreadsheet is a gap in your process or technology being filled by hand, and the more of them you have, the lower your confidence in your data. Identify the top 10 spreadsheets finance can’t live without and replace them. If it drives decisions, it needs controls, auditability and continuity. (Kevin’s pick)
4. Close the risk control gaps in source-to-pay and order-to-cash
Look for the blind spots between supplier onboarding, contract compliance and PO enforcement. An invoice can match a PO perfectly and still miss the discount or rebate procurement negotiated in the contract. Fraud loves quiet processes, and these gaps are often a quiet bleed. The good news: the right controls and integrations usually speed things up and reduce exceptions. (Mike’s pick)
5. Modernize cash forecasting
Static monthly forecasts are dead. CFOs need to answer what-if questions in real time, which requires rolling, scenario-based forecasting that integrates AR, AP and operations. Once the data is out of spreadsheets, AI can model scenarios like a key supplier disruption or a new client that lifts demand 5%. (Kevin’s pick)
6. Make vendor and customer experience a finance priority
Finance shapes how suppliers and customers experience your company, from supplier onboarding and payment detail changes to billing and collections. When those experiences break, finance pays the price in emails, calls, disputes and rework. With price equal, people choose the company they like working with. (Mike’s pick)
7. Drive toward touchless transactions
The goal isn’t perfection in year one. Aim for 60 to 70% touchless processing in targeted, high-volume procure-to-pay and order-to-cash workflows, and leave the edge cases for later. Work in sprints: pick a metric, find the root cause, set a goal, hit it and set the next one. The high-volume standard cases are often the easiest to fix, and your team will be happier for it. (Kevin’s pick)
8. Upskill the entire finance team, not just leaders
Build knowledge of internal processes, industry trends and new regulations across the whole team. Eliminate the “black box” person who is the only one who knows how everything works. Kevin adds that people don’t resist technology, they resist out of fear. Upskilling helps them see automation as a path to more strategic, more productive work. (Mike’s pick)
9. Move finance from reporting to advising
Finance has the data to earn a prominent seat at the table. Instead of reporting history month by month, use these tools to deliver insights weekly or even daily. Kevin heard a former CFO of a large industrial manufacturer describe moving from spreadsheets to AI-driven insight as game changing. This only works once the other resolutions are in place. (Kevin’s pick)
10. Build a finance ecosystem, not a tool set
Buying more software without alignment usually makes things worse, and often teams just need to use what they already have better. Start with purpose, then the process that serves it, then the people and skills that support it, and use technology to enable all three. (Mike’s pick)
Where should a CFO start?
If the list feels overwhelming, Mike’s advice is simple. Not every organization has every problem on this list. Pick three resolutions, commit to them, plan with your team how you will tackle them, and execute relentlessly. Even if you stumble, adjust and keep going. Kevin adds that several of these build on each other: you can’t move to advisory finance if you are buried in transactions or don’t trust your data.
In their words
Momentum beats perfection every single time.
Mike Jasper, Extropy Advisors
I don’t think people resist technology. I think they might resist out of fear because they don’t necessarily understand what that technology is able to do for them.
Kevin Zirkle, Extropy Advisors
About the speakers
Kevin Zirkle is Director of Business Development at Extropy Advisors, where he works across Extropy’s partner ecosystem, matching organizations with the right technology and the right people to move transformation from the whiteboard into production.
Mike Jasper is VP of Finance Transformation at Extropy Advisors, where he leads digital transformation and client success, working hands-on with clients to set success criteria, optimize their people, process and technology, and measure the results.
FAQ
What should CFOs prioritize in 2026?
Kevin Zirkle and Mike Jasper recommend ten resolutions: embed AI instead of piloting it, cut manual work by at least 25%, eliminate critical spreadsheet dependency, close risk control gaps in source-to-pay and order-to-cash, modernize cash forecasting, prioritize vendor and customer experience, drive toward touchless transactions, upskill the entire finance team, move finance from reporting to advising, and build a finance ecosystem instead of a tool set.
What is a realistic touchless processing goal?
Rather than aiming for perfection, target 60 to 70% touchless processing in high-volume, repetitive procure-to-pay and order-to-cash workflows within a year, then expand from there in short sprints.
How should a CFO choose which resolutions to tackle?
Pick three, commit to them, plan with your team and execute relentlessly. Most organizations won’t face every challenge on the list, and steady progress on a few beats trying to fix everything at once.
Keep exploring
- More episodes of Extropy On AIr
- Next episode with show notes: 2025 in Review, 2026 in Focus: Leading with Intention
- Related: Leading Digital Transformation with Confidence
- Why Extropy
Want help turning these resolutions into a roadmap? Book a discovery call with our team.
