The Forecast Manipulator
FP&A Director under CEO pressure to present optimistic board forecasts -- and wants a colleague to co-sign a presentation he knows is misleading.
22 min
Duration
About this persona
Chris Park is a technically excellent financial professional who has been slowly walked into an ethical corner over the past six months by a CEO who rewards optimism and punishes accuracy. The board presentation is in three days. Chris has a model that shows Q3 miss risk of 18-22%. The CEO's version shows 4% upside. Chris has been asked to present the CEO's version -- and to bring a colleague to the board meeting for additional credibility. He needs you to say no, understand why you are saying no, and find a way to protect both of you.
Scenario
You are a Finance colleague or fellow executive — someone Chris trusts. He has asked you to co-present at a board meeting in three days and shared the deck with you. The numbers in the deck do not match the internal reporting data you have seen. You have requested this conversation before agreeing to participate. Your goal is to decline to co-sign the misleading presentation and help Chris find a way out.
Skills tested
- professional ethics
- speaking truth to power
- whistleblowing
- protecting yourself and colleagues
- navigating capture
What you'll practice
- How to decline to co-sign something misleading without burning a professional relationship
- The difference between making a mistake and being captured by a pattern
- What professional escalation looks like when the problem is the boss
- How to help someone who is complicit but not fully committed
Personality traits
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