Leadership Accelerator for Non-Financial Executives
In Hawaii’s competitive business landscape, today’s senior leaders are expected to think and speak the “second language” of finance - whether their “first language” is in operations, marketing, technology, product management, customer experience, or people strategy. Yet many accomplished executives have never been formally taught the financial language their CEOs and CFOs use to make decisions.
Finance as a Second Language® (FSL) closes that gap. This six-part series equips already successful non-financial leaders to acquire next-level skills to think, speak, and act in financially grounded ways that build credibility with top leadership.
In six fast-paced, highly practical modules, you’ll quickly learn to connect your part of the business to your company’s financial goals - through three powerful skills every executive needs:
- Make decisions that are financially grounded.
- Present proposals with persuasive financial justification.
- Report progress that increases trust and influence.
Why This Program Is Different:
Most “finance for non-finance” courses teach numbers and calculations.
FSL teaches you fluency – how to Speak the Language of Finance®.
- You won’t memorize accounting rules - you’ll learn to think, speak, and act in the language of your CEO and CFO.
- Participants describe the FSL as “a big-picture translation of finance into everyday leadership - so I never have to “fake it” in financial meetings.”
- Each financial tool is tied directly to how executives achieve results, defend proposals, and report results.
- Program Design: Six High-Impact Modules
Each module introduces the essential vocabulary, tools, and logic that define the financial operating system of world-class companies.
Module
|
Executive Capability
|
Core Financial Language
|
|
ALIGN
|
See Your Business the Way Your CEO Sees It - connect your priorities directly to your company’s profit and cash. |
Value, Transaction, Asset, Investment, Value Creation, Value Chain |
| ANALYZE |
Make Decisions Through the Logic of Return on Investment - compare alternatives and defend choices with persuasive reasoning. |
Time Value of Money, Net Present Value (NPV), Return on Investment (ROI) |
| PLAN |
Turn Strategy into Measurable Financial Commitments – build budgets and forecasts that show control and accountability. |
Budgeting, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Forecasting |
| EXECUTE |
Run Your Area Like a P&L - manage levers of revenue, cost, and working capital that drive enterprise performance. |
Profit Drivers, Revenue, Expenses, Receivables, Inventory, Payables, Capex |
| REPORT |
Communicate Results That Build Trust – present credible, disciplined reports that increase leadership confidence. |
Profit and Loss Statement, Quarterly Reviews, Budget Variance Explanations |
| ACCOUNTABLE |
Sustain Financial Discipline – deliver on commitments and track progress transparently to strengthen trust
|
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Commitments, Milestones, Deadlines
|
Who Should Attend
This program is designed for directors, vice presidents, and business-unit leaders from any function—operations, marketing, HR, IT, sales, product management, customer experience—who want to:
- Make or influence resource allocation decisions
- Manage teams or projects that affect profitability and cash flow
- Increase strategic impact and readiness for senior leadership roles
No prior financial training is required - just the desire to connect your work to the financial story your leaders care about.
Key Benefits
- Speak the Language of Leaders: Understand how executives read and discuss results.
- Win Resources with Credibility: Present initiatives with financial logic that earns confidence and support.
- Lead with Clarity: Manage your area through measurable financial and operational indicators.
- Collaborate Effectively with Finance: Build a shared vocabulary that bridges technical and business teams.
Advance with Confidence: Translate your expertise into financial credibility that accelerates your leadership trajectory.
Format and Participant Experience
- Fast-paced, interactive, and grounded in real business examples.
- Six three-hour live Zoom sessions spaced one week apart to allow for reflection and application exercises.
- Each module includes practical explanations and real-world case studies drawn from a variety of industries and global best practices.
“Finance as a Second Language® gave me the confidence to connect my decisions to our company’s financial goals.
It turned complex concepts into clear insights and strengthened how I communicate value across teams and with senior leaders.”
Chrystal Leung, VP & Director, Talent Acquisition, American Savings Bank
About the Instructor
Toshi Shibano, PhD has spent more than 37 years teaching senior managers across six continents and 22 countries for companies such as
GE, Siemens, Longs Drugs, Hawaiian Electric, Servco, and
American Savings Bank.
He served 28 years on the faculties of Stanford, Berkeley, Columbia, and Chicago Business Schools, and 21 years on the global faculty of General Electric’s Financial Management and Executive Development programs.
Born and raised on Maui and a graduate of Baldwin High School, Toshi earned his PhD from Stanford Graduate School of Business and MBA from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.
Program Details
Dates: Thursdays - August 13, 20, 27, September 3, 10, 17
Time: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM HST (via Zoom)
Presented by: Hawaii Employers Council
Free Lunch & Learn to learn about FSL and experience a special topic lesson.
Dates: Thursday – April 16, May 13, June 17, July 15
Time 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM HST (via Zoom)
APPLY FOR ETF:
Important ETF Registration Instructions – Read Before Registering
If you are interested in applying for the ETF 50% subsidy, please follow these steps before registering:
- Email HEC at [email protected] or click the "Get ETF Code" button below to request your special ETF registration code (for the discounted rate) and the required ETF Forms pre-filled by HEC.
- Use the ETF registration code to register each employee for the course and pay 50% of the course fee to complete the registration.
- Complete the ETF Forms for each employee attending
- Employer Referral Agreement
- Course Registration Agreement
- Submit the Course Registration Agreement Form to [email protected], and HEC will complete the Training Vendor portion of Section IV of the form and send the form back to you.
- Mail, Fax, or email the two completed forms to your local ETF Office by July 30, 2026.
For more information on the ETF application process, please visit our ETF page.
Note: If your ETF is not approved by the State ETF Office before August 13, 2026, you will be required to pay the remaining 50% of the course fee before taking the course.
HEC Members: $2,500 ($1,500 with ETF)
Non Members: $3,500 ($2,500 with ETF)
How to Register:
-
Members: Please sign in to your account and select Register.
-
Non-Members: To register, please create a free guest account or sign in if you have joined us before.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations and refund requests will not be accepted starting from September 2, 2026. There will be no refunds or rescheduling options for No Shows.