Guide to CFO Success: Leadership Strategies for Corporate Financial Professionals -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- CFO Advisors -- Chapter 1: Chief Financial Officer -- What Is a Chief FInancial Officer? -- CFO as Strategist -- CFO as Leader -- CFO as Advisor -- Personal Attributes of a Successful CFO -- Positivity -- Respect -- Ego -- Relationships -- Making a Difference -- Have Fun -- Skills Required for CFO Success -- Finance Skills -- Strategic Thinker -- Communication Skills -- CFOs Are Different -- What Kind of CFO Is Right for My Company? -- Work-Life Balance -- The Other Important Thing to Balance -- Career versus Employer: A Question of Ethics? -- What Is Getting in the Way? -- Focusing on Your Career Helps Your Employer -- Visibility -- Skills -- Conclusion -- Part One: Successful Career Strategies for the CFO -- Chapter 2: Planning for Career Success -- Playing to Your Strengths -- Technical Strengths -- Personal Strengths -- Personal Brand -- What Is a Personal Brand? -- Your Personal Brand and Your Employer -- How to Brand Yourself -- Networking -- Networking Is a Verb -- How Do You Create a Valuable Network? -- Get Uncomfortable -- Size Does Not Matter -- Social Media for the CFO -- Social Media Tools -- Other Tools to Keep in Touch -- Separating Business and Personal Online -- Skills Development -- Career Coaching -- Conclusion -- Chapter 3: Career Danger Signs -- Career Danger Signs -- Exclusion from Meetings -- Distance -- Out of the Loop -- New CEO -- Limited Board Relationships -- Integrity and Ethics -- Mergers and Acquisitions -- Cash Flow -- Financial Markets -- Scapegoat -- Stagnation -- Boredom -- Overwhelmed -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4: Should a CFO Moonlight? -- Perception Is Reality -- Acceptable Moonlighting Methods -- Volunteering -- Mentoring -- Advising Other Companies -- Board Directorships -- Conclusion.

Chapter 5: The CFO in Transition -- The Grieving Process -- Denial -- Anger -- Bargaining -- Depression -- Acceptance -- Welcome to Your New Job -- Ideal State -- Catching Up From Behind -- Outplacement Services -- Action Plan -- Time Wasters -- Areas to Focus On -- How CFOs Find Their Next Opportunity -- Accepting Your Next CFO Role -- Fit -- Location -- Due Diligence -- Multiple Opportuni ties -- Gut Check -- Negotiating Your Next Employment Contract -- Base Salary -- Annual Bonus -- Automobile -- Expense Reimbursement -- Relocation or Travel Assistance -- Signing Bonus -- Health Insurance -- Death or Disability -- Time Off -- Annual Review -- Termination -- Conclusion -- Chapter 6: Starting Your New CFO Role -- Onboarding -- Before You Accept the Job -- Once You Accept the Job -- Vision -- Know the Lay of the Land -- Early Wins -- Team -- Process and Technology -- Attitude -- Onboarding Experiences of Real CFOs -- Getting Up to Speed -- Biggest Challenges -- Quick Victories -- Changes Made -- Starting Over -- Biggest Surprises -- Conclusion -- Part Two: Successful Employment Strategies for the CFO -- Chapter 7: Planning for Success at Your Employer -- The Case for a Formal Plan for Success -- Matching Finance Team Strategy to Corporate Strategy -- Finance Team Culture -- Goal Setting and the Path to Success -- Personal Goals -- Finance Team Goals -- Executive Coaching for the CFO -- Plan -- Lonely -- Relationships -- Feedback -- Stress -- Conclusion -- Chapter 8: Relationship Management for the CFO -- The CFO Relationship Map -- Are Relationships Important? -- What Does Your Relationship Map Look Like? -- Elements of Relationship Management -- Knowledge -- Likability -- Trust -- Expectations -- Examples of Successful CFO Relationship Management -- Examples of Failed CFO Relationships -- Why Do CFO Relationships Fail? -- Inherent or Systemic Issues.

Lack of Effort -- Lack of Common Ground -- Lack of Trust -- Know What Cannot Change -- Know What Can Change -- Conclusion -- Chapter 9: Relationships with the CEO, Board, and Investors -- Keys to a Successful CEO Relationship -- Relationship with Your Board of Directors -- Who Is the Boss? -- Not One Relationship, but Many -- Expectation Management -- Key Board Relationships -- Founder -- Audit Committee -- Compensation Committee -- The CEO Roadblock -- Board Disagreements -- Providing Value -- Relationship with Investors -- Importance of Investor Relations -- Who Is Responsible for Investor Relations? -- Managing the Investor Relationship -- Communicating Bad News -- Investor Relations for the Growth Company -- Other Situations -- Owner-Managed Business -- Family Business -- Business Unit -- Not-for-Profits -- Partnerships -- Conclusion -- Chapter 10: Relationships with Fellow Executives -- Human Resources -- Challenges between Finance and Human Resources -- Relationship Building with HR -- Main Challenge with HR: Budget -- HR Supporting Finance -- Finance Supporting HR -- Information Technology -- Challenges between Finance and Information Technology -- Relationship Building with IT -- Main Challenge with IT: New Projects -- IT Supporting Finance -- Finance Supporting IT -- Marketing -- Challenges between Finance and Marketing -- Relationship Building with Marketing -- Main Challenge with Marketing: Value -- Marketing Supporting Finance -- Finance Supporting Marketing -- Sales -- Challenges between Finance and Sales -- Relationship Building with Sales -- Main Challenge with Sales: Processes -- Sales Supporting Finance -- Finance Supporting Sales -- Production -- Challenges between Finance and Production -- Relationship Building with Production -- Main Challenge with Production: Costing -- Production Supporting Finance.

Finance Supporting Production -- Conclusion -- Chapter 11: Relationships with Outsiders -- Auditors -- Relationship Strategies -- Impact of a Weak Relationship -- Impact of a Strong Relationship -- Lenders -- Relationship Strategies -- Impact of a Weak Relationship -- Impact of a Strong Relationship -- Lawyers -- Relationship Strategies -- Impact of a Weak Relationship -- Impact of a Strong Relationship -- Other Outside Relationships -- Investment Banking -- Tax Professionals -- Conclusion -- Chapter 12: Building and Developing Your Finance Team -- Elements of a Great Finance Team -- People -- Organized -- Supported -- Motivated -- Results -- The Cost of a Great Finance Team -- Plan for a Great Finance Team -- Process and Technology -- The Reality on the Ground -- Areas for Improvement -- Define Your Needs -- Zero-Based Team Building -- Understand Your Current Team -- Identify Gaps -- The Realistic Team -- Plan for Growth -- Building Your Finance Team -- Hire -- Retain -- Superstars -- Expectations -- Motivation -- Three Rs: Responsibility, Recognition, and Respect -- Compensation -- Cull the Herd -- People Leave Managers -- Grow -- Develop Your Team -- Current Gaps -- Growth Goals -- Methods to Develop Your Team -- Formal Training -- On-the-Job Training -- Mentorship -- Coaching -- CFO Succession -- How Do I Become a CFO? -- Your First CFO Role -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- About the Author -- Index.