6.5Field feedback
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Principle #1: cash is king — a profitable company can die from a lack of cash.
- Underused levers: knowing your costs and anticipating (cash plan, forecast) instead of enduring.
- False ideas: profit is enough, more turnover equals more profit, no profit equals no tax, the software or the accountant decides for you.
Rachid thread — 1 year on: what he keeps from the field
One year on, what Rachid keeps from his practice matches exactly the synthesis below: his best habit was watching cash before result each month, and his breakthrough was calculating the real cost before pricing. Nothing heroic: lucidity, anticipation, and consistency.
Read this feedback as guardrails: if you recognize yourself in a trap, fix it this very week.
What practitioners repeat
Beyond the techniques, a few principles constantly come back from those who manage finances on a daily basis.
✓ To do
- “Cash is king”: a profitable company can die from a lack of cash.
- “Know your costs”: people often fight for unprofitable turnover.
- “Anticipate, don't endure”: a cash plan and a forecast avoid the gaps.
- “Understand before delegating”: you delegate the technique, not the understanding needed to decide.
- “Measure little, but well”: a few interpreted indicators beat an avalanche.
✗ To avoid
- “I have a profit, so everything is fine” — no: also watch the cash.
- “More turnover = more profit” — not without a sufficient margin.
- “No profit, so no tax” — some taxes are independent of the result.
- “The software/accountant handles everything” — the manager remains responsible for the decisions.
Ready-to-say script — asking for feedback on your management (30 s)
“Here are my month's figures: cash, margin, budget variances. Tell me where you see a risk I don't see, and where I'm telling myself a story. I take notes and I fix.”
Then keep the commitment: really fix, otherwise feedback dries up.
Copy-paste template — monthly practice debrief (10 min)
DEBRIEF OF THE MONTH — [month]
1. My best financial decision: ...
Why it worked (which fundamental): ...
2. My miss of the month: ...
What I take from it (no self-flagellation): ...
3. Feedback received (chartered accountant, partner, peer): ...
4. ONE habit to keep: ...
ONE habit to change: ...
5. Next month: the decision where I will apply it: ...Small business / tight budget
The debrief can be oral over a coffee: one win, one miss, one habit to change.
Algeria SME
Value anticipating tax and social deadlines despite peaks: it is what avoids the costliest cash gaps.
Remote / hybrid
Trigger feedback in writing (short message, dedicated slot): at a distance, people dare less face to face.
Cross-cultural
Adapt the feedback request: in private first, never in public, and accept indirect wordings.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Fill the monthly debrief above for the past month, and ask 1 feedback on your management with the proposed script.
- I know the 5 principles and the false ideas to set aside.
- I have filled a debrief and asked for feedback (or scheduled it).
- I did the 48h challenge or scheduled its date.
A partner tells Rachid: “we have profit, so all is well”. What does the field synthesis answer?
⚠️ Integrity: this feedback is an anonymous synthesis of widespread good practices — not attributed quotes. Tax, social and accounting rules vary by country: always check your local framework.