CFO Leadership was on display in 2023 in many different ways. The following are 10 stories we published in 2023 that offer a unique view of leadership and provide perspective on some of the most prominent management challenges finance chiefs faced.
1. Embrace the Grind: A Conversation With Skateboarding Execs
Bear Walker Industries, a skateboard design and manufacturing company specializing in custom, hand-carved wooden skateboards, demonstrates how art, hobbies, business, and leadership can all mix for a profit. This conversation with the company’s CEO and CFO shines a unique light on the valuable lessons they’ve learned through failure, what “growth” means for a young company, and how it will scale into different markets.
2. CFO Peer Audit: How to Stay Focused and Healthy While Traveling
Business leaders from Brex, ServiceRocket, Chipotle, Scarlett Communications, and Goat Hospitality Group shared how they take care of themselves mentally and physically on business trips. The importance of events for networking, fundraising, and culture development is expected to increase in 2024.
3. Leadership on LinkedIn: Pathways and Pitfalls
LinkedIn has grown to dominate how professionals communicate with one another. From interns to executives, knowing how to perform well on this platform will continue to pay dividends for CFOs.
4. Matching CFOs to Company Culture and Strategy
This story, which highlights Accenture's CFO Success Paradigm, showcases the success of different leadership styles with data and how more collaboration between "creators" can lead to success.
5. Welcome to the Family: 4 CFO Leadership Conference West Takeaways
In their inaugural "West" event in Phoenix, the CFO Leadership Council’s event highlighted the importance of artificial intelligence in finance, leadership lessons around growth, and CFOs’ desire to be in the same room and learn from each other.
6. Sustainability Still Extrinsic to Many Companies' Cultures
This story, citing data from The Conference Board and Baker Tilly, highlights the feasibility of legitimately incorporating sustainability within company culture.
7. Nearly 1 in 4 In-Office Workers Wonder Where Their Boss Is
The return-to-office battle between employers and employees is expected to continue throughout next year. In this story, CFO’s managing director and head of content, Andy Burt, highlights a Resume Builder survey about employee perception of leadership. And, as our boss, we’re still unsure where Andy was when he wrote this story.
8. Only 36% of Finance Teams Think Leaders Empathize Amid Change
This story, which references data from an EY survey, discusses how finance teams feel when their leaders implement changes. With new technologies, changing work environments, and M&A expected to continue to impact organizations, CFOs must remember the importance of empathy during business transformations.
9. The CFO’s Changing Role: 5 Data Points from the 2023 CFO Outlook Survey
CFO’s 2023 outlook survey highlighted finance leadership’s desire to collaborate in technology implementation, showed other executives recognized the hard work of their CFOs, and nearly unanimously said their CFO is the best in at least one area of discipline.
10. Deferred Comp Plans Help CFO Retention and Retirement Savings
One of the most important aspects of healthy long-term leadership is the ability to create a succession plan. This story helps guide financial leaders who are looking to secure themselves financially at the end of their careers and help their organization plan for the next generation.