How Playmaker CFOs lead Company Math

Since working with the Real Math of Business™ framework with my CFOs, an understanding of your company math is critical. Why? Because it's the location of a significant amount of 'low hanging fruit'. Quick wins.

However, I have also learned that diagnosing company math is just one skill. Leading it is another, and to be honest, it's the harder part. As always, awareness is a great first step and the good news is, we now have language to identify it. The next critical step is action.

How to lead company math

CFOs need to engage 3 attributes to lead company math effectively:

Systems thinking: not just reading the financials but seeing how all six levers within the real math of business confirm or contradict each other. This could look like seeing a strategy problem where everyone else sees a people problem – and naming it in your executive meeting.

Confidence to be provocative: naming what your company math is optimising for, even when it's uncomfortable. You are the person in the room who says "this isn't a cost problem, it's a design problem"

Care without attachment: being able to distinguish between company math that's broken and math that's just not for everyone. This is the heaviness of responsibility that comes with knowing when to fix the system and when to help someone find the door

We call this full body of work the 'real' math of business because this isn't about confirming what's comfortable. It's about helping CFOs initiate the conversation that's needed to grow their business.

The best CFOs want to lead with impact. Telling their CEOs what they want to hear is one thing. Showing them that a perceived people turnover problem is 'really' a company math problem is far more effective. Initiating a design conversation to solve for an unfavourable financial variance is the conversation your CEO wants. That's impact.

The CFO identity shift

This thinking won't be for every CFO. It will only be for CFOs looking to become playmakers and in that
'becoming', shifting from financial partner to business leader. But here's the thing: most CFOs are never asked to make that shift explicitly.

Those on a journey to playmaker choose to make it anyway, and it lifts the entire company.

Remember, your company math is the operating logic that drives every decision in your business. It can show up in structure, it can show up in process, cadence or rhythm, and it can show up in culture.

I invite you to reflect on the effectiveness of your company math:

Is it helping or hindering your business?
What needs to change?
And do you have the courage to change it?

Love to hear your thoughts...