Can developing soft skills like communication and conflict resolution accelerate FinOps maturity faster than tooling?

In this episode of FinOps in Action, I sit down with Cloud FinOps Manager at IHG Hotels & Resorts, Rick Triana, to explore why cost savings are actually the smallest part of FinOps, and why focusing on “spend reduction” can stunt your FinOps maturity.

Rick shares how he evolved from treating FinOps as a cost-cutting function to building a value-driven program rooted in leadership, communication, and accountability. He explains why most right-sizing recommendations fail, how to avoid losing trust with engineering, and what FinOps “nirvana” really looks like.

We also break down Rick’s value–effort–risk prioritization framework, how to influence without authority, and why soft skills matter more than technical expertise in this field.

Here’s what we talked about:

• Why focusing only on savings misses the true purpose of FinOps: maximizing business value
• How communication and soft skills matter more than technical tools in driving adoption
• Rick’s value × effort × risk scoring model for prioritizing optimization work
• Why dashboards drive awareness but chargeback drives accountability
• How FinOps teams mature through the crawl–walk–run lifecycle — and how practitioners mature personally, too
• What separates seasoned FinOps leaders from those who only know right-sizing and savings plans

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Quote of the Show:

• “If that’s your focus is just saving money, I think you missed the big picture.” - Rick Triana

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardotriana/ 
• Website: https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/reservation 

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