Four habits every CFO must adopt to lead as a catalyst
As businesses face an unprecedented wave of economic uncertainty, the role of the CFO is more critical than ever.
Historically seen as the stewards of risk management, CFOs are now being tasked with leading their organizations through transformation and growth.
To rise to the occasion, they must evolve from traditional “guardians” of financial stability to proactive “catalysts” for strategic growth.
At the Gartner CFO & Finance Executive Conference, senior analysts Mallory Bulman and Clement Christensen highlighted the importance of this transformation.
They emphasized that CFOs must move beyond their traditional roles, adopting new habits and mindsets to ensure their organizations are agile and prepared for the future.
Here are four key habits every CFO must adopt to lead as a catalyst:
To shift from a guardian to a catalyst, CFOs need to change how they talk about their roles. By using language that reflects innovation, agility, and problem-solving capabilities, CFOs can reinforce their identities as strategic drivers.
Instead of merely being caretakers of financial control, they must position themselves as leaders who inspire teams with a clear and aspirational vision for the future.
As automation and AI handle more routine tasks, CFOs must embrace the complex challenges that require human insight and creativity.
This shift is essential for driving business transformation. Reward systems should focus on valuing innovation and complexity over routine efficiency, motivating teams to tackle high-value, ambiguous problems that have the potential to drive significant growth.
Rather than relying on expanding headcount, CFOs should focus on deploying business tools that allow teams to make informed decisions independently.
Technology will be a critical enabler of this transformation, providing scalable solutions that manage the increasing complexity of business decisions without the need for proportional increases in staff.
This empowers the organization to become more efficient and responsive.
To truly lead transformation, CFOs must shift from a process-centric approach to a product-centric mindset.
By viewing finance functions as providers of strategic products (such as tools and models for business leaders) rather than just executing processes, CFOs can drive collaboration and innovation across departments.
This approach fosters alignment, breaks down silos, and helps meet the dynamic needs of the business.