2. Beyond the Conventional CFO
 Managing investments and assets, negotiating with the bank
to get the best rates of interest, reporting to the CEO and
presenting to the Board of Directors; if you are a CFO, these
are likely tasks you check off your daily planner. But at the
end of the day, you know that you are only as good as your
team. The finance department not only plans money, tax and
treasury; but also analyzes data and gives insights that are
crucial to top-level decision-making.
 As the designer and architect of this team, how do you attract
and retain talent that can look beyond number-crunching to
contribute towards overall organizational success?

3. 1) Lay the Foundation
 Today, organizations are becoming increasingly layered
and complex, customers are turning fickle and
employees are often drifting along without a sense of
direction.
 As a CFO, it is essential that you share your business’
vision with your team and give a roadmap to successful
achievement of objectives.
 Clearly define the role of each member on this journey,
show each the difference he/she is making and infuse
the team with a sense of purpose.

4. 2) Strengthen the pillars
 Besides hiring the best individual for each function, add talent
development as one of the most important tasks on your
agenda. It could take on the form of training seminars, job
rotation or succession planning.
 Also, collaborate with IT to create systems for knowledge-sharing
across the business. Invest in systems and
processes that do away with bureaucratic red tape and make
workflow quicker and more efficient.
 Remember that talented employees will look forward to
working under an energetic, progressive leader.

5. 3) Look Ahead
 It is essential that you create a finance team that can expand
easily and serve future needs of the organization.
 You are expected to look into the future and take proactive
measures so that issues are tackled before they arise.
 To retain talent for the future, bear in mind their expectations
with respect to compensation, career progression and work
flexibility.
 Restructure your processes to suit their needs; rotate tasks
often and promote from within the organization to enhance
loyalty.

6. Finally…
 Lead by example. If your working is aligned to
organizational goals; if you embrace and encourage
training; and if you successfully play your role of a
dynamic change agent; so will your team.

7. Maureen O'Connell
Maureen O’Connell is the current Executive VP, CFO
and CAO of Scholastic Corporation. When not
working, Maureen loves running, Skiing, Scuba
Diving or Travelling.