Jack McCullough, Founder & President, CFO Leadership Council recently connected with CFOs across our 27 chapters on their rookie mistakes starting out in their careers & the big lessons learned.  He shares his findings. Several CFOLC members recently shared their “rookie mistakes” from earlier in their careers. It’s no surprise that I received some interesting responses. You’ll find as you read through them that most are easy to relate to and may have been one of your “rookie mistakes” too. Well, except the person who wrote back, “I can honestly say I never made a rookie mistake. I was just

The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself! The more you learn, the more you'll earn!  ~ Warren Buffett The CFO Leadership Council held a program back in December in our NYC chapter on The Indispensable CFO.  This title made me think to myself, what does a CFO (or financial executive headed toward this position) have to do to be recognized as indispensable; how does one develop h/herself to be Indispensable in this current culture? While CFO’s across all organizations demonstrate strong financial acumen and functional expertise, the most successful CFO’s acknowledge the need to leverage competencies beyond financial

Automate or Stagnate, Advice from Lindsey Head, CFOLC San Diego Chapter Co-Chair Stagnation, the dreaded word that no founder wants to hear or experience. Imagine, you have poured your energy and life savings into launching a business. You’ve setup shop, the doors have opened, and you are feeling the excitement of growing sales and hiring employees.  Then you face a month or two where there is a lull in sales or a few key clients or staff members have left. You are supposed to be overseeing the big picture and growing the business. However, you have been pulled into the details of

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” – Jack Welch Being a leader is a commitment. You are charged with guiding and supporting your team through the good times and the bad. Creative leaders can make enormous contributions through a focus on concentration and self development. So what does this mean exactly? During a recent webcast with Steve Wolff, a CFO for healthcare, technology & SaaS companies, as well as co-chair of our Chicago chapter, breaks down why it’s so important for leaders to commit,

Turn The Page!  What Our CFOLC Members Are Reading Recently our CFO Leadership Council members were asked by a peer via our online members-only forum CFO Connect "What materials are you currently reading that you find impactful to your role as finance leaders?"  The quick response was so phenomenal that we wanted to share the list.  Looking for something new to read that inspire you to take strategy and leadership to a new level?  Here's 40+ recommendations from valued finance leaders in our CFOLC community. Special thanks to Aaron Pullin, CFO NS1 and NYC Chapter member for posing this invaluable

Surviving Today’s Technology Complexity, One CAO’s True Story Requirements in the back office have grown exponentially while reporting deadlines remain fixed. New accounting standards, ASC606 and ASC 842, and new business models, such as the subscription economy and IoT, are driving this change.  Technology is the answer, but the game has changed significantly.   The “Cloud” was to provide new benefits but brings new challenges.  Instead of delivering insight to leadership, finance teams are forced to direct time to overcome these technology challenges. Old models for automating no longer apply, and finance leaders must embrace new approaches to avoid significant risks to the business. Tom Zauli, SVP & General Manager, Softrax will facilitate an insightful discussion with special guest speaker, Michael Smith, Chief Accounting Officer, Tyler Technologies at our 9th annual CFO Leadership Conference. (Pillar #5 – Technology, Disruption & Change ~ Tuesday, May 14th @ 10:40am).