You made it! You’ve landed in the CFO role of a plum company. You’ve got the corner office with a magnificent view … sweet. Now, you can finally kick back and rest on your laurels, right?
Not if you want to …
a) stay in the position awhile; or
b) keep your career on an upward progression.
Matt Bud, Chairman of the Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG) often quips … “you’re only ever between searches.” That is sage advice. The moment you adopt the mindset that your search is just some future event, you might find that you are actually only one short step away from being completely caught off-guard.
Take for example the CFO at New Regency. He was terminated after 3 months in that role but had 13 years with the company; and he is the 4th CFO the company has had in the four preceding months. Can you do anything to ensure that you don’t meet the same fate as the New Regency CFO? Not really. But there are certainly things you can do to be effective in your new role and still be prepared for a shorter-than-expected stint.
Read the 5 proactive steps you can take to enhance your career after landing in the 3rd quarter issue of CFO Studio magazine!