Last week, Providence Business News held its third Chief Financial Officer Awards program, a celebration of the men and women who help secure the success of their companies.
As the honoree profiles in the special section that is included in this week’s issue make clear, being an outstanding CFO is about far more than making accurate numerical calculations.
From understanding the cultures of different companies in order to make a merger work to selling a company to potential (and existing clients) to teaching other employees how they play their part in the company’s financial success, the modern CFO needs to immerse himself in the enterprise’s details and learn to communicate clearly and consistently to the rest of the staff and often the outside world. If he doesn’t, it doesn’t matter how well he knows how to add and subtract.
Read the profiles, and if you are a CFO, think about expanding your perspective to better serve your company. And if you are looking for a CFO, keep in mind that the best ones are far more than human calculators. •