The CFO'S Perspective

Earlier this year Callum Borchers, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, wrote an article called “These Professionals Aren’t Retired, they Just Have Zero to Prove.” The article highlighted successful professionals living what has been dubbed “a post-achievement lifestyle.” These professionals are high achievers who found enough success early in their careers that they no longer need to engage in the daily office grind to bring in a regular paycheck. Some have socked away enough money to live lavishly for the rest of their lives and some have just enough to maintain their current lifestyle. And now, they are focused on maintaining a work-life balance on their own terms. Many are still working in some capacity or another – in part-time (fractional) capacities or on hobby projects – but all are focused on living the life that they worked hard to build early in their careers. The article got a lot of people talking!

Here at CFO Selections, we are always in pursuit of the knowledge needed to continue growing personally as well as professionally. We are constantly reading, watching, and listening to resources across many different topics as well as discussing what we are learning along the way. Our goal is to foster a culture of continuous learning in ways that transcend our roles in the office. In keeping with that spirit, we periodically spotlight books our team members are reading.

In today’s CFO Selections book review and share, Jen Girard is highlighting The 36-Hour Day – a book that she has not only read recently but has also been living for almost a year as she journeys through her father’s memory loss. We hope that you will find the memory care tips that she shares here not only helpful but also inspirational if you are in a similar situation.

As a finance team professional with years of experience navigating office politics, human relationships and life in general, I have the need to successfully complete difficult conversations every day. It is a skill that one acquires over time, especially after learning that it’s better to face problems head on.

It's easy to avoid the problems, bury your head in the sand, or pretend things are peachy, especially at work or in a new relationship. Avoidance only makes it worse for you and everyone around you - but mainly for you. When you go along because you're afraid of making it worse, you will slowly resent it and may leave your job or relationship because of it.

What if, instead, you faced these problems head-on, resulting in more positive working relationships and maybe even happier clients?

It's hard to believe 20 years has gone by since CFO Selections was founded! It has been 16 years since merging a small search practice with CFO Selections. Time has gone by so quickly! It has been gratifying to make great friendships within the community, including my partners, consultants, clients, and fantastic trusted advisor community. To this day, I still get a thrill reading the business section of various publications and finding a company mentioned we assisted at some point in their growth.

Today I am sharing lessons learned as both a partner of CFO Selections as well as in the business development role. These are the keys to success I encourage all business owners and entrepreneurs to leverage on their business journey.

The pressure on CFOs today is more intense than ever before. Their roles have become increasingly complex amid an uncertain financial landscape, resulting in the kind of financial challenges that CFOs 10 years ago could never have imagined they would be facing today.

Rapidly changing consumer and business purchasing habits have caused demand to fluctuate wildly, nullifying forecasts and ongoing financial projections. At the same time, rising costs on raw materials, packaging, and transportation have cut deeply into the profit margins that CFOs are tasked with managing. And soaring inflation has only exacerbated the challenge of rising costs across all industries.

After a year of strategizing, planning, training and stress, my wife, Heather and I participated in the one-of-a-kind 7-day BC Bike Race in beautiful British Columbia.

Today Eric Moore shares his thoughts about the book: “Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds” by David Goggins

About David Goggins:

“For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare - poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through self-discipline, mental toughness, and hard work, Goggins transformed himself from a depressed, overweight young man with no future into a U.S. Armed Forces icon and one of the world's top endurance athletes. The only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller, he went on to set records in numerous endurance events, inspiring Outside magazine to name him The Fittest (Real) Man in America.”