Lead From Where You Are

What does real leadership look like in today’s finance operations? Monica Brooks isn’t here to sugarcoat it, but she will inspire you.

In this energizing episode, Monica shares her journey from practitioner to powerhouse, offering candid lessons from her time in the trenches and the boardroom. From building high-performing teams to navigating nonstop change, she’s learned how to lead with both empathy and precision. Whether you’re managing a team or preparing for your first big step up, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed.

Plus: Why she keeps coming back to IOFM’s Leadership Track, and what she hopes every future leader takes away from it.

Listen now and unlock the kind of leadership that actually moves people, and businesses, forward.

Monica Brooks

Monica is a dynamic speaker who inspires others to reach their full potential, both professionally and personally. She excels in helping to maximize individuals’ capability in any situation, whether it’s facing new challenges, working with diverse teams, or receiving feedback and coaching. Monica has first-hand successful leadership experience: Before venturing out on her own, she led a team and increased her team members’ overall engagement while helping them build their proficiency. She now applies that experience and knowledge to helping others become more effective in their roles. Monica is certified with Franklin-Covey to facilitate “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and has led a diverse group of managers through fundamental development programs. Her special spark is sure to leave you feeling inspired and motivated!

Grace Chlosta
Senior Content Manager, IOFM

Grace is the Senior Content Manager at the Institute of Finance & Management (IOFM), where she has led content strategy and development since 2022. In this role, she oversees all aspects of IOFM’s digital and event-based content, ensuring it remains timely, relevant, and actionable for all financial operations professionals.

Grace manages IOFM’s robust library of site content, leads the organization’s editorial and member webinar programming, and hosts IOFM’s podcast series. She also oversees a team of subject matter experts who contribute thought leadership and educational articles. In additional, Grace curates and manages all speaker content for IOFM’s in-person and virtual events, ensuring consistency and quality across every touchpoint. With nearly three years in the role, Grace brings a deep understanding of the financial operations landscape and a passion for delivering content that empowers professionals to excel in their roles.

Transcription

Grace Chlosta: Welcome to the IOFM podcast. This is a podcast for accounts payable and accounts receivable professionals who want to stay in the know with current AP and AR trends and ideas. We'll be interviewing professionals in this space on a wide variety of subjects, including automation, artificial intelligence, career growth, compliance, leadership, and much more.

Hey, Monica. How are you? 

Monica Brooks: I'm so good. How are you doing, Grace?

Grace Chlosta: I'm doing good. We're on site at IOFM Spring. So happy to have you here.

Monica Brooks: Thank you. As always, this is one of my favorite conferences to attend and to speak to the audience. I absolutely love it.

00:00:44

Grace Chlosta: I am so glad. So we're going to talk a little bit about your sessions today. The leadership track is so big with our audience -- really, really popular. So you're teaching quite a bit. You taught a workshop yesterday, sessions today and tomorrow, and we have our women's panel tomorrow morning. So I want to learn a little bit more about what you're presenting, but, for folks that don't know you -- I don't know how they don't, but give us a little bit of a background on you, what you teach, what your passions are, and just we can start there.

Monica Brooks: Absolutely. So I'm Monica Brooks and I'm an ex-corporate girl, so I actually worked in accounts payable and I was a manager there for about 20 people, in healthcare, and then I just took a leap of faith in October 2021 to do what I'm doing now, which is inspiring people, helping people. I do a lot of leadership and team development, but my most favorite topic is talking about change and how to manage change and how to work through it so that you can stick to what matters most, and that is the work that you're doing and moving the organization forward.

00:01:40

I also have a podcast myself, "Becoming a Better You," because I love self-improvement. So it's been great. And I love being here because of leadership. Leadership's my jam. I love talking about it. I love helping people. So, yeah, I can talk about the sessions, if you want. 

00:01:58

Grace Chlosta: I would love you to. And I just have to hype you up. We hear from so many people on site [that] you're one of the top reasons they come. And it's just amazing to see a friendly face and a face that was them. They can see themselves in you, but see such a success story in learning about themselves through leadership. I think it's so important. If any folks are ever interested in learning more about speaking or wanting to be more involved with IOFM, you're the biggest success story from something like that, right?

Monica Brooks: Yeah, this is where my speaking career started was with IOFM. The reason I love coming back is the people, but I also love that I can speak the language of accounts payable and the pain points that they may have. And now we've pulled in AR, so a lot of times, as leaders, we have the same type of pain that we're going through, whether it's workplace conflict, which I talked about today, this morning. It was such a great session because we have conflict no matter where we go, no matter what relationship we're in, whether it's someone [like] your partner or a coworker in another department, or maybe you're managing conflict with your team, or your team is managing conflict with procurement. Or if you're AR, maybe it's sales.

00:03:08

So it's a constant -- so learning how you can manage that is really important, and I think, for leaders, sometimes we try to be the superhero, and we think it's our job to fix things. And really, what I challenged the audience to do today is to empower your team. So rather than feeling like you have to be the go-to for everybody problem, even when it comes to workplace conflict, ask a question. 

If someone comes to you and says, like, "Oh, my gosh. This person does this all the time, and it's preventing me from getting my work done." As a leader, I would say, "Well, what have you tried? What steps have you taken to resolve that?" Versus I want to talk to that person's leader and try to come up with a solution so you both can work well together. And it's like, no. You want to empower them, and then, when you do that, you get time back in your day, which we all wish we had more time, right? 

00:04:03

Grace Chlosta: Absolutely.

Monica Brooks: So learning how to manage conflict in a way that empowers other people to manage it themselves can also teach them skills and grow their skills as well.

Grace Chlosta: That's huge. I think you hit the nail on the head there. There are so many AP specialists who are not at the manager level who are listening, who maybe don't feel the confidence to even maybe go to their manager and tell them that they're experiencing conflict, even to take that first step and then own it themselves. What would you say to someone who's trying to build confidence and maybe stick up for themselves in some way, make their life better, whether it's between -- interdepartmentally or whatever it might be? How do they take those first steps?

Monica Brooks: Yeah, I think first know that it does take courage. It just doesn't come automatically. But if it feels like it's going to be uncomfortable, first realize that's a great thing because you're about to grow. Your skills are about to grow if you feel like you don't want to do something, but you know you need to.

00:04:52

A lot of times, it could be something like, "Hey, do you have a few minutes to chat after today's meeting?" I introduce what's called the SBI model. It's a model that the audience wasn't aware of, but it's out there. You can. Google it. But it's about stating the situation. S is for situation, B is for behavior, and I is for impact. So just say, "Here is the situation. Here's the behavior that I say. And here was the impact that it had." 

And so what you're doing there is you are separating facts versus feelings, because conflict is emotional and we get worked up, and we want to defend ourselves. So just taking a few moments, even if you don't use the SBI model, just having the courage to say, "Hey, do you have a few minutes to talk? When you said this earlier…" just repeat back the facts. You're dealing with facts. That is it. Take the feeling and emotion out of it. What happened and what was the result? Like what did that cause? 

00:05:46

Remember that it's going to be hard, especially if you're not used to getting feedback or having a conversation. But, in those moments, you have the opportunity to grow. 

Grace Chlosta: Right, absolutely. I love that. I feel like fear -- when you have those nerves, you have that fear, it's because you care. And there's probably, a lot of the time, like a genuine passion behind what you're attempting to solve for yourself. And then when you're on the other side, you feel so much better. There's this weight lifted. And then, yeah, you feel like you've grown and learned new skills.

Monica Brooks: Yes, absolutely. And also remember, too, like when you're in conflict -- I was showing a picture of a brain because our brain -- it wants to protect you and it wants to keep you safe, and so when there's conflict, it's like, "Oh, this is a threat. This is a threat to me and who I am and what I'm doing." And so you have to really just pause and just take a minute, even if it's a day, because sometimes we respond too quickly and we say the wrong thing, that we regret later. I think we've all done that in conversations with people or disagreements with people.

Grace Chlosta: Oh, yeah, and then you're replaying it. You're like, what did I say? Did I really say that? Oh, God, I'm so that way.

00:06:46

Monica Brooks: Yes, so there's really a benefit to just shifting it to neutral. You don't have to be full speed ahead when conflict happens. Just kind of create some space, prepare, and be intentional with the conversation you want to have. It's not an attack. It's like, "Hey, let's talk about this."

Grace Chlosta: Totally, I think that's great. And you have a longer-form session tomorrow afternoon, right, with one of your colleagues?

Monica Brooks: I do. I'm so excited. I'll be presenting with Jamie Umpleby. She is an AP manager.

Grace Chlosta: I love Jamie.

Monica Brooks: She's awesome, yes. We work together. And when I left corporate, she's the one that took my position, which is amazing. So she's so qualified. She's incredible. We're going to talk about transformational leadership and what looks like. Jamie -- I love that we get along so well, but our interests are so different.

00:07:27

Jamie is really good at improving processes and leading through that. So when there was like a Workday implementation, she really was the project manager for that. To where mine is more, let's talk about soft and fuzzy-type feelings and emotions, and I'm going to talk about that transformational leadership, like, yes, you need to be open to change happening. AI is happening. So much has changed, even in accounts payable within the last year. We are all more curious about it now. 

00:08:00

So, in order to bring that transformation, you have to have that mindset of: You know what? Let me look into this. A demo from any exhibitor here isn't going to cost you anything. 

Grace Chlosta: Right.

Monica Brooks: So even just having -- for leaders to have that curious mindset of: What can this do for me? You're not signing the dotted line. It's like, just see what's out there and what services can help you be more efficient.

Grace Chlosta: And how cool then to go back to your team afterwards and say, "Look, I've learned about five new products that might really help us. Let's work together." Probably your whole team isn't able to come today or tomorrow, but what can we do with the skills that you learned in your sessions, but really with the exhibitors as well?

00:08:37

Monica Brooks: I agree. And I wish -- if I could go back [to] when I worked in accounts payable, I wish I would've had that mindset when I came to conferences. I wish I would've talked to more people and the exhibitors here.

Grace Chlosta: It's so hard. It is. And I talked about this a little bit with someone earlier. It's staying curious, but it's scary. I've been to conferences on my own before, and to jump out of your shell a little bit and form those conversations -- even at lunchtime and networking breaks -- it's scary. But then it feels, again, like groundbreaking, even just for me, to step out of my shell, and I feel so much better about myself when I do, and everyone is willing to talk.

00:09:09

Monica Brooks: Absolutely.

Grace Chlosta: Everyone wants to give advice and share their experiences. We're all here for the same purpose.

Monica Brooks: That is one of the best parts, I think, too, that I would do differently because, yes, I can speak and I love to inspire, but I'm also very introverted. And if I'm at a table, I don't want to talk.

Grace Chlosta: Me too.

Monica Brooks: But I'll be the one to say, "Okay, where are you from?"

Grace Chlosta: Because you have to. You want to break the ice. That's me.

Monica Brooks: I do. And it's like, the sooner you start talking to people, you can be like, "Oh, my gosh. You have the same problem I do." Or, "I can help you with this." That's exactly what happened at lunch today, just sitting and listening to someone who already implemented Workday and someone who's going through it right now, and just providing that encouragement and just giving them insight into it.

00:09:48

I would've made more use of my time at these conferences because it is very helpful, but that's part of the transformational leadership, showing up, coming to these conferences. [background noises] I'll start that over. Are you editing this? 

Grace Chlosta: Yeah, I'm editing the whole thing. That's wild. I'm so sorry.

Monica Brooks: That's one thing I would encourage people to do is continue to come to the conference with that curious mindset. Lean in to being uncomfortable. Lean into technology and AI. See what it can do for you because, at the end of the day, you want more time back as a leader, and so you're going to need to lean into these things in order to be more effective and to move your department forward.

00:10:24

Grace Chlosta: Yeah, and I've seen the fear factor lessen a little bit in my conversations with folks, where, of course, it's still a little bit scary to embrace AI, but then it's not going anywhere. They're realizing now it's not going anywhere, but then how can I use it to better myself and to better my career, and then. leave space for myself to be a little more creative, look at long-term plans, and, hopefully, instead of doing your manual tasks every single day, right?

00:10:46

Monica Brooks: Right. And I think that's the thing is it's not here to take over your job. It's here to be used as a tool and a resource. And ultimately, I feel like every leader wants to be able to move the department forward. How can we become more efficient? Well, it's leaning into the discomfort of what it can do for you. So I encourage people [to] check out the exhibitors at conferences, ask for demos. Again, they're free. No charge. There's no risk at all. And just see what's out there.

Grace Chlosta: Absolutely. I mean, you're busy. We have a women's panel tomorrow morning, which is always so fun. "Women in Leadership," we love. It's so popular. Everyone asks such good questions and we have such a dynamic group of ladies up there. I'm super excited for that, too.

00:11:25

Monica Brooks: I love that panel because questions that come from the audience and things they want to know, but I think one of the best parts is the different answers you will get for the same question. I absolutely love that. So you kind of get a lens on how someone would answer that question, and maybe that doesn't fit someone, and here's another answer to that same question.

00:11:45

Grace Chlosta: Right. That's the best part about the different personalities that we have up there, because someone in the audience might say, "Oh, well, I could never say that," or "I wouldn't do it that way, but I'll take that advice from the other person because that can be more applicable to me."

Monica Brooks: Yes. So I would say, just take what resonates with you. And then the other session I'm doing today is about…

The other session I'm doing today is about leading into the future, so it's the one I did for an IOFM webinar before, but I think it was pretty popular, so it's going to be: What skills do you need not just to lead now, but into the future? 

One of the topics that I love talking about is the multi-generational teams. That's always a big question. 

Grace Chlosta: It is. It's becoming bigger and bigger because people are retiring and getting older in their roles. How do we -- a lot of newbies are coming in, hopefully.

Monica Brooks: Yes, absolutely. And everybody works differently. One of the things I'll challenge people with today is to remove the labels that we see as Gen X or Gen Z or X and start looking at people as individuals, because when we look at people and group them with that label, we think they're all like that, and that's not always the case. I think being a future-forward leader is getting to know your teams individually, if you haven't already, and there's so much benefit to knowing the person on your team as an individual and not labeled or grouped in any way. That way, you know what works for them.

00:13:08

I would say one of the topics that people always look for, just in my own speaking, is they're like, "My team needs motivation. How do I motivate my team?" And I'm like, "Okay, yeah, well, you could bring in a speaker, but really that's up to the leader. You need to ask the question, 'What motivates you? How do you like receiving feedback?'" Depending on who they are, it may be something like, "Just tell me in an email. Show me an example. Talk to me face-to-face." So there is so much value in continuing to get to know your team on a one-on-one basis and not just as a group of label that society has given them. 

00:13:44

Grace Chlosta: Absolutely. I think that's so important. For folks that can't be here the next couple of days, what would be one -- the biggest piece of advice I feel like that resonates through all of your sessions -- that you would leave people with today?

Monica Brooks: I would say… Let's see. That's such a great question. What advice would I leave them with?

Grace Chlosta: I'm sure there's probably a lot.

Monica Brooks: Yeah, there are so many. I think it's to keep things in perspective. I think that would be my message to them is: Keep things in perspective.

00:14:15

A lot of times -- this is kind of going deep, but I always look at my life on this timeline that has a beginning and an end. That's inevitable, right? And how big is this issue that I'm dealing with right now going to matter in the end? And if it's minimal, then I'm like, all right, I need to move through this emotion, right? But maybe it is significant. We're all going through really big things. Maybe it's a career change that's going to change your life. That's awesome. 

But it's just, keep things in perspective. And letting emotions that feel too big and heavy -- just let them pass through you. Yes, they're real, but the sooner you can get through the emotion, the better you are at solving whatever problem you need to solve. 

00:14:50

There's a book that I love. It's called "The Untethered Soul." I always recommend it. 

Grace Chlosta: Oh, yeah. I own it. I haven't read it yet.

Monica Brooks: Oh, my gosh. You should totally read it.

Grace Chlosta: Okay.

Monica Brooks: But I want to say, in that book, it says that no problem can be solved when you're stuck in the emotion of it. When you're feeling all this emotion and you're upset, you're stressed, you're mad, you're not able to actually focus on the problem. So learn how to move through those emotions. That way, you can get to the problem-solving aspect and take some action.

Grace Chlosta: That's huge. I'm taking that one with me. [laughter]

Monica Brooks: Go for it.

Grace Chlosta: I'm a worrywart over here, so I need to learn.

Monica Brooks: I'll end with my last quote I always share with people. You ready?

Grace Chlosta: Yeah.

Monica Brooks: It's from Ekhardt Tolle, and he says that worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose. So that thing that you're worrying about isn't actually going to change the outcome. You're actually wasting your energy on something. So again, keep that perspective on your life, on your career and how much this will matter in the end. And a lot of things, it's like it's not going to matter, so worrying about anything is not going to change the outcome.

00:15:50

Grace Chlosta: I love that. Monica, you're the best. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. Have a good rest of your conference.

Monica Brooks: Thank you, Grace. You too.

Grace Chlosta: Thank you.

Thank you so much for listening to the IOFM podcast. Remember to head on over to the Member Forum to discuss today's episode and provide ideas for our next one. And to stay up to date on IOFM's current events, both in-person and virtually, head on over to IOFM.com.

Continuing Education Credits available:

Receive 1 CEU per hour of listening time towards IOFM programs:

Receive 1 CEU per hour of listening time towards maintaining any AP and P2P related program through IOFM! These programs are designed to establish standards for the profession and recognize accounts payable and procure-to-pay professionals who, by possessing related work experience and passing a comprehensive exam, have met stringent requirements for mastering the financial operations body of knowledge.

Continuing Education Credits available:

Receive 1 CEU per hour of listening time towards IOFM programs:

Receive 1 CEU per hour of listening time towards maintaining any AP and P2P related program through IOFM! These programs are designed to establish standards for the profession and recognize accounts payable and procure-to-pay professionals who, by possessing related work experience and passing a comprehensive exam, have met stringent requirements for mastering the financial operations body of knowledge.