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Third, successful CFO's stay broad in their outlook. They take the risk management view first, last and always, scanning every key aspect of the business routinely. They specifically concentrate on where the action is not - because that is normally where the next problem is brewing. The result: they are meshing with the CEO's thought process by focusing on future outcomes and maintaining a macro-viewpoint while, at the same time, protecting him or her from developing blind spots.
Fourth, the CFO's with whom presidents want to partner are futurists in their own realm. They push for better metrics to guide the management decision-making. Some are developing human asset accounting systems to optimize today's profit differential - the company's people. The result: they are now regarded as thoughtful groundbreakers.
Finally - and this perhaps proves that I am really speaking to you as a recruiter - the most effective CFO's build world-class staffs. They hire people who are not only their intellectual equals; they settle only for people who are broad in their interests yet deeper in their specialty than they are. And, no wallflowers! You need a productive debating society to unearth the problems and solve them creatively. If you can accomplish this task, you will get these results: better technical problem solutions; more teamwork; and, most importantly, the time to truly partner with your CEO in the way Mr. Huppi so brilliantly devised.
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