CFOs and their fellow executives have had plenty of takes on how to identity and retain good talent. For this edition of the CFO Peer Audit Series, we asked CFOs:
Throughout your career, when you meet someone and think “Wow, this person’s got it,” what’s the “it factor” to you?
Here’s what finance leaders had to say.
Aaron Peterson, CFO, Bergdorf Goodman and head of FP&A, Neiman Marcus (luxury retailer)
“If I could put it in one word, it’s resilience, and that’s not always something you can see at first. But, when people consistently show up, and show they can work hard, that’s valuable and those are the people that I want and I have seen become successful.”
“Those who look to those around them when times are tough while also being able to navigate change in a positive way. Life can get really hard. Building a career can be really hard. But if people have experience with that sort of thing, being able to perform well during challenging times with passion, regardless of the discipline they’re in, that is something that has always been an indicator of potential success for me.”
Mark McCaffrey, CFO, GoDaddy (web hosting and domain registrar)
“Emotional leadership. There are people out there who understand titles and authority, and yes, that is part of leadership. But real leaders know how to emotionally lead. They inspire people. They know how to connect with the people they are managing. We often too much associate leadership with titles, but when you see someone who can lead by putting themselves in other people’s shoes and emotionally connecting with them and their challenges, regardless of their title, that is a mark of potential success.”
“I often worry that in our digital world, emotional leadership skills are becoming harder to build, and we are getting much more task-oriented leadership, which isn’t strong. Are your people telling you what you want to hear instead of what you need to hear? Are they just handing out tasks to be done by their team for the sake of doing so? These are the things that emotional leaders have a much easier time avoiding than other types of leaders. I think being able to inspire those around you without the authority granted by the organization is powerful.”
Mandy Fields, CFO, e.l.f. Beauty (cosmetics and beauty product supplier)
“The things I have seen have all come from hard work. My kids play a lot of sports, so I started reading a lot about Kobe Bryant and his work ethic, his approach was all about putting work in when others might not have.”
“Early on in my career, I brought that idea into my approach. I was willing to take on extra projects and tasks. Today, I am still willing to do things that others might say “Oh, that’s not what a CFO would do.” But it’s those types of things that make you a better business partner and not only do I think that’s where the CFO role is headed, but I think anyone who shows that they are willing to go above and beyond what the next person may do will have success in their role.”
Sandeep Aujla, CFO, Intuit (business technology provider)
“Someone who has a perspective that goes beyond their job. I learned early on in investment banking that the ones who were most successful were the ones who assumed the leaders two layers above you would miss their flight or train and they’d be unable to lead the meeting. The people that were prepared two roles above them for important meetings, even myself as a 23-year-old analyst, it’s important to emerge and set yourself apart in those spaces.”
“I also think there’s an importance to how much of a deep thinker someone is, how they are collaborating, engaging with folks, articulating their strategic thinking — those types of things. Of course, intellectual horsepower and a strong work ethic play their part, but for someone who has a passion to accelerate their career, they have the ambition to get ahead by working hard and encompass an ownership mentality around the business. I can do accounting and finance, but what I can’t teach is intellectual curiosity.”
David Fallon, CFO, Vertiv (supercomputer and smart chip infrastructure manufacturer)
“The person who wants it more than the other person. The only thing we can control is our work ethic. I’ve always admired someone willing to outwork the person next to them. You look at Michael Jordan, he was very talented, but he wasn’t the most talented guy in the NBA; what he did was he outworked everyone else. You hear stories of him practicing for hours while his teammates were going out, it takes those types of things to be the greatest. You need that grit in your DNA.”
“What we do in finance, you have to have a high level of intelligence to be able to do the work we do. We need smart people because this discipline is increasingly analytical and quantitative. But we also need people who are ambitious and want to win. For me, when everyone told me to get an MBA or work in investment banking or consulting, I wanted to do something different. I interned at Chrysler and loved it. It made me realize I wanted to be a CFO of a public company by the time I was 35. I worked hard, and a week before I turned 36, I achieved my goal.”
Vijay Padmanabhan, CFO, UST (business technology provider)
“A good attitude and an ability to learn. Those who can positively collaborate with others. Someone who can learn quickly and put what they learn into practice is such an important asset to a finance team. Sales is not a one-person show anymore, regardless of what you’re saying. You need lots of different people and teams binding in various capabilities, solutions, data, insights, experience and more. The ability to foster relationships internally in the business and then use those to produce within your role are qualities that I’ve seen people have who have become very successful.”
Karim Sadik-Khan, CFO, Liquid Death (canned beverage company)
“The drive to want to learn. The value of a great attitude is huge. I can’t teach hustle, I can’t teach attitude, I can’t coach smart. But for people who have those attributes, I can teach them the intricacies of the beverage business.”
“There’s value in the nimbleness of youth, and when people are willing to take their quick hands and sharp minds and learn a new part of the business, that is a sign to me that this person has what it takes to do well. People who are ex-consultants or former investment bankers, I know these people are going to have great Excel skills and presentation abilities. But hopefully, they will also have the desire to want to learn and improve themselves. Those who do are usually the ones who do well.”
Eric Mason, CFO, City of Quincy, Massachusetts (public-sector CFO)
“Being acquisitive. Some of the signs of failure I’ve seen are the assumption that someone may know it all, and that leads to a lack of motivation. I have a family member who is really successful and I asked him one time about the keys to success, and he said a few things I will never forget—work like your boss has to rehire you every day, be comfortable with failing and learn your mistakes from those moments, and find purpose in life that motivates you to keep getting better. People I’ve seen who have had this approach, or parts of it, have done well.”
