7 Habits of Highly Effective Chief Financial Officers

So, to be a highly effective CFO in your business, you have to be up to date on all the latest accounting standards, be really up to speed on the latest developments in tax legislation and spend long hours in your office reviewing reconciliations and signing off VAT returns. That’s right isn’t it?

 

NO.

 

With over 16 years experience, The CFO Centre suggests that highly effective CFO’s need a rather different set of skills to be effective and “make a difference” in the businesses they work for. With a team of CFO’s providing CFO services to a number of SME’s each on a part time basis, they understand what it takes to be a great CFO!

 

Here are the top 7 Habits for effective CFO’s:-

1. Competence
2. “Bean Growers” not “Bean Counters”
3. Build a team outside the business as well as in it
4. Manage up as well as down
5. Communication is everything
6. Passionate
7. Sharpening the Saw

Competence

There’s no getting away from it that an Accounting qualification and experience gained being a real life CFO counts for a lot. CFO’s will be judged initially on how well they keep the score, solve financial problems in the business and direct management attention to the things that matter financially. Although it starts here, this is not where it stops! Other key habits are:-

Bean Growing, not Bean Counting

Highly effective CFO’s should come with Business, Commercial and Strategic skills that are super strong. Super financial skills are merely a pre-requisite.

Team Orientation

Teamwork is key for the modern day CFO. As well as the ability to build their own team, highly effective CFO’s must be able to work effectively with the management team of the business and develop relationships outside the business to provide a strong network of support professionals.

People Skills

“Soft skills” are the hard skills these days. Managing down, across and most importantly up to MD’s and business owners is key. Being a great CFO and doing the CFO “stuff” is not sufficient in adding real value to the business. People need to be brought with you.

Communication

The way you communicate and get your point across is critical to making a difference. Influence and persuasion skills are massively important to be highly effective.

Passionate

Yes “passionate”. High energy levels and having some fun is an important factor in effectiveness. What CFO’s do is a serious business, but it doesn’t have to be dour, and nobody likes a bore!

Sharpen the Saw

Keeping fresh and finding time to keep up to date is vital in this fast moving world. This relates to all the effectiveness habits not just technical skills!

CFO’s who want to make a difference to their businesses should work on these habits to become highly effective. Those that can master all these skills will find themselves in very high demand!

To learn more about The CFO Centre visit https://www.cfocentre.com.sg.