Depending on where you sit within an organization, your POV, priorities, and the everyday language you use may seem miles away from that of your CFOs.
She might be talking about ARR and—if you’re in marketing—you’re concerned with brand lift. Or maybe you’re on the People Team, and your main focus is employee engagement and retention. Often these differences lead to miscommunication or even conflicts within the team. But finding common ground is more beneficial to your career and team.
Here are several principles that can help you turn potentially frustrating conversations and relationships with your CFO into fruitful ones.
UNITE AROUND COMPANY VALUES
Your company’s core values should be a rallying point for decisions and goal-setting across the organization. Discussions with your CFO or her team are no different; use company values as the foundation for your conversations.
For example, at Contentstack, one of the core principles is care: “We care deeply about the communities we serve.” You might be questioning what this has to do with the CFO. Well, this helps us choose our investors. Only those with strong CSR commitments make the shortlist. It also helps us budget for give-back initiatives, which build community, or find alternatives to layoffs when the economy gets tough.
Think about how you might connect company values to your conversations or asks when you’re talking finance.
FOCUS ON VISION
Companies planning for long-term success usually share an overarching goal across the organization. Your CFO probably contributed significantly to that company goal, so make sure they understand how you’re going to help the company reach it.
Sometimes the wisest course of action for long-term growth involves a big upfront investment for a long-term payoff. When taking risks now is the way to future-proof your company, bring your CFO a compelling business case. Show that the risk aligns with the company’s vision for the future and the goal you want to hit.
If your goal is strengthening internal camaraderie in a remote work environment, then maybe budgeting for a yearly, in-person all hands is worth the investment. Or, if you’re in a tough competitive market where you need new features and ideas to stand out, investing in an innovation team may be the way to go. Or both?
Justifying the expense will not only help win your CFO’s approval, it will help you better map out your thinking and communicate your strategy to other stakeholders.
SPEAK CLEARLY
Many CFOs are working sixty hours a week. Be respectful of their time as much as you want everyone to be respectful of yours. Part of that is making sure that you are saying what you intend.
I recently read a pilot’s advice on this topic that hit home: “Make sure your team understands you and there’s no way to misunderstand you.” How often have you delegated a project and received something entirely different from what you expected? That’s either an issue with someone not listening or you not communicating effectively. Avoid the latter at all costs. (You can do a lot to avoid the former, too, but that’s for another article.)
Part of clear communication is leaving jargon behind. Once your finance team starts asking questions like, “What does that mean?” tied to a specific language, you’ve muddied the waters.
Another point to consider is remote environments. Don’t assume that body language will translate, even if you can see each other on video. Provide context and use visuals as needed—use the medium to your advantage! You’ll probably need to be less subtle than in person.
RECOGNIZE EACH OTHER’S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
Remember that you are each coming to the table with different areas of expertise. When I meet with my CFO, I know he’s the finance guru. But I also bring other expertise that moves the company forward (creativity, culture building, attracting talent). The beauty is that we strengthen each other’s weaknesses.
This is true regardless of your role. We aren’t all great at everything. However, knowing what you are great at and where you can stand to learn a thing or two is a form of transparency that drives the relationship forward.
All of these steps are easy to say, but hard to do in practice. And as you achieve them, you build trust over time. In the end, you and your CFO—or their team—bring different perspectives and skills to the table. We all need each other. Have the mindset to, as Bernard Desmidt says, “win with” your CFO, and everyone benefits.
Neha Sampat is a three-time tech founder and CEO, and currently founder and CEO at Contentstack.