The holidays are here. Letters are pouring in to Santa and to our editor. Here is one such letter and the editor's response.
“DEAR EDITOR: I am a CEO.
Some of my friends say there are no good CFO’s.
Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
Please tell me the truth; are there any good CFO’s?”
----- From Virginia, CEO
Dear Virginia,
Your little friends are wrong.
They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds.
All minds, whether they be men’s, women’s or children’s, are little.
In this great universe of ours, the human is a mere insect, an ant, in intellect, as compared with the boundless world about us, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.
Yes, there are good CFO’s.
They exist as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your company strong financial advice and oversight.
Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no good CFO’s? It would be as dreary as if there were no good CEO’s. There would be no profits, no opportunities for employees to develop their careers, no new products to improve our society. The eternal light with which entrepreneurialism fills the world would be extinguished.
Not believe in good CFO’s! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your HR department to post on the Internet to catch a good CFO, but even if one does not apply what would that prove?
Nobody just sees a good CFO, but that is no sign that there is no good CFO out there.
The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor women or men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.
You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart.
Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real?
Ah, my dear CEO, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No good CFO? Thank God there is a good one out there.
You just have to search for one, but don’t expect the CFO will just appear. The good CFO lives and lives forever.
A thousand journal entries from now, my good CEO, nay, ten times ten thousand journal entries from now, the good CFO will continue to make glad the heart of a CEO.
You just need to call us to find one for you.
Happy Holidays!!
About the Author
Alex de Soto anchors the CFO Selections search practice. He brings over 25 years of experience in accounting, finance, human resources, and executive search to his role as leader of the search team. Since 2008, he has spent most of his time helping CEO’s and CFO’s of Pacific Northwest based companies find that unique match they seek for a CFO or Controller.
