Finance leaders from companies of different industries and sizes share how they believe CFOs can prioritize being a great finance chief to their company and a parent to their kids simultaneously.
For this edition of the CFO Peer Audit Series, we asked CFOs: How do you meet all the demands that encompass your role while also being the best parent possible to your children?
Here’s what finance leaders had to say.
Adam Rymer, CFO, Chipotle (fast-casual restaurant chain)
“There are times I’ve found myself asking how I manage these two really important parts of my life. I see this debate around work-life balance a lot, but what I’ve noticed among successful people in my career, and especially at Chipotle, is how work and life can be successfully integrated.”
“Even before I was CFO, I’ve always felt connected to the business. That means I’m connected even when I’m with my family. But I’ve learned from successful people around me how to balance and prioritize both, so I can meet the demands of my role while also being present for my family. Whether it’s my son’s basketball games or performances my daughter is in, I make time to be there while also balancing the needs of the business. For example, I’ll answer an email at my son’s basketball game but still watch him play.”
“It makes me more comfortable to be plugged into both at the same time rather than being unavailable because I’m at a basketball game. I feel comfortable, in large part because of the people around me and the organizational nature we have here, to have my finger on the pulse of the business at all times. I’m trying to teach my kids about executive functions and prioritizing certain things so they can learn how to stay organized and prioritize themselves. It’s a bit of a challenge with a nine-year-old, but we’re getting there.”
Jessica McClain, CFO, Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital (global youth leadership organization)
“I think it’s about creating harmony between both roles. I don’t like the term ‘work-life balance’ because some days work and family can be all over the place. For business leaders who are new parents or even providing for an older parent or family member who needs care, it’s important to make sure you have a great support system in place. For me, that’s my husband, but I also have a village of people who can support me if I have obligations requiring me to be away from my family.”
“It’s also important for business leaders, and all employees, to set boundaries and ensure you and the person you report to are on the same page about things in your life that may require your attention. They don’t teach this stuff in public accounting or business school, so it’s really up to companies to ensure their executives and employees don’t have their personal and professional lives in competition with each other.”
“Caregiving will be a future issue in this area as people live longer. There may soon be workers who have two generations relying on them for care and support. If CFOs and other leadership teams are aware of this, they can help develop a culture where harmonizing personal and professional life is encouraged.”
David Wyshner, CFO, Kyndryl (cloud infrastructure optimizing service)
“This is a challenge my wife would likely point out I’ve got some work to do. But it’s funny — both my kids are in their 20s, and they’re both finance majors, so I like to think I did something right in terms of their curiosity and interest in finance.”
“I think it’s really important to make decisions about work and family in the context of doing the right thing. That’s a value I’ve driven in every position I’ve ever had professionally and in raising my family. Being a CFO and a dad together has been my life for the past 18 years. To do both successfully, or at least the best you can, is about instilling good values in your kids and company culture built upon doing what’s right for everyone involved.”
Jeff Klimkowski, CFO and cofounder, DUDE Wipes (producer of wet wipes for men)
“I think it’s all about focus. Being a good business leader means being able to focus on what matters in the moment. For me, my focus is on my business and my family, which together encompass about 95% of my life. I just read a great book called The 100-Year Life by Andrew Scott and Lynda Gratton, and one thing it focuses on is how your life needs to change over time.”
“Early on, when I was in investment banking and even when we started DUDE Wipes, I used to worry about prioritizing so many things at once — time with my family, not losing time with my friends, my health, my investment banking career at one point, all while building this business. It got to a point where I had to put my business and my family at the forefront.”
“I have more time to attend things now than I did when I was an investment banker, but candidly, I’ve missed a couple of family events I wish I could have attended because of work. Maybe 10 years from now, if things go to plan, I’ll find a different primary focus that isn’t building this business. But for now, being able to narrow my energy and focus into two primary drivers — business and family — has helped me.”
Steve Gallucci, Global and US CFO program leader, Deloitte (Big Four public accounting and consulting provider)
“There’s no easy answer to this. I believe — and there’s a large body of research to back this up — that the successful model of being a CFO and a parent or partner is about knowing when you’re at your best, maintaining that as much as possible, and planning recovery time when you’re not there. It’s about being mentally and physically prepared for important things you may need to relay to stakeholders.”
“Being a CFO of a publicly traded company is a seven-day-a-week job, and the role has only intensified with changing capital markets, talent shortages, the environment and geopolitics. To make yourself available to your family while meeting those needs, you need to build a finance team you can trust. This is also important when managing the expectations of a CEO who may want you on speed dial, something that’s driving down CFO tenure.”
“CFOs need to be ready, on call and prepared to deal with challenges. But with a strong support structure at work and home, they can manage their energy levels and stay physically and mentally ready for key moments like earnings calls, board presentations and M&A negotiations.”
Glenn Hopper, former CFO and head of AI research, Eventus (fractional CFO service to small and medium-sized businesses)
“The phrase ‘work-life balance’ is a pendulum — sometimes it swings where your family needs more, and sometimes it swings where your business does. Most people don’t have perfectly centered, split time between family and work. CFOs need to strive to work in both places in a way that allows them to flow between work and family when needed.”
“Now that I’m an empty nester, it’s easier since we aren’t shuffling kids to school and practices. But when I was a CFO and our kids were younger, my wife was incredibly supportive and helped provide slack when work required more of my attention.”
“The trick was — and still is — accepting that full balance is unattainable. You need to be able to pivot between partnership or parenthood and being a CFO. It will never be an even balance, and that perspective is how my wife, kids and I succeeded during my career.”
