Art of being a leader, friends with peers, and also be respected...

This is more of an art than science. Either you have it or you don’t. But broadly... it is a combination of following factors: 

1) whether the other leaders are doing the right thing for the business. If they are, then your life becomes easier. But you need to assess if they are. And that’s hard. 

2) quick wins. Are you doing simple things that can help them in their jobs. These could be something in your sleeve - not too painful for you, but makes them feel good. 

3) genuine interest: you have to show that you are genuinely interested in their pain.  And not just pain with finance, but pain in doing their jobs. And you can’t fake it. You have to listen, you have to ask questions. 

4) business acumen and operational understanding: you have to bring to the table business acumen to show that you get it. That you know business in general, and that company’s business specifically. 

5) push them: you have to demand/push them in the right direction. That shows that you are not a puppy dog ready to help them. That you are going to be equal. 

Eg. When Bob Hughes needed some marketing $$, I found him some. It wasn’t hard, but the next time I had some contentious topic, he was more willing to work with me. 

Key is to ask and understand general pain, not just with finance. Show interest.  And figure the easy stuff to solve. Your challenge, Nitin, is not to go too far with the business leaders. How do you build and keep that objectivity. At the end, THAT will get you the respect. The overly native is the friendship. Striking that balance is the hard stuff - but that's what gets you the respect.