How do I become a real finance partner, not just a reporter?

The jump from reporting numbers to partnering with the business is a real one, and defaulting to reporting is understandable — it is safer. Numbers are certain; opinions can be wrong. But being asked to partner means they want more than the score. They want your judgment about what the numbers mean and what to do about them. That is a bigger, more exposed role, and stepping into it is exactly what is being asked. A reporter answers "what happened." A partner answers "so what, and now what." The difference is a point of view. When you show the numbers, go one step further: say what they tell you, where the risk or opportunity is, and what you would do. You will sometimes be wrong, and that is the price of being useful. A partner who ventures a view and is occasionally off is worth far more than a flawless mirror. So in your next report, add one section you would normally leave out: your recommendation. Not just the figures, but what you think should happen because of them. It will feel exposed the first few times. Do it anyway. That single added step is the whole distance between reporting and partnering, and crossing it is how you become the person they actually asked for.