• Recognise the early signals that your CFO is stagnating
• Understand why high performers are often the last to recognise they've stopped growing
• Discover how The CFO Boardroom can help your CFO get their mojo back
A hungry monkey is wandering through the market when he spies a jar of bananas. Seeing no-one watching, he sidles over to the jar, reaches in and grabs one. But as he tries to pull it out, he realises he's stuck. He has a choice; to let go of the banana and be free, or stay as he is.
Like the monkey in the famed fable, at some point most senior leaders will find themselves feeling stuck in a role that still pays well and looks successful on paper, but is no longer developing them.
This becomes a problem for a CEO when they find themselves in a situation where they are aiming for world-class results, but being supported by a world-weary team.
For you to step into the next evolution of your own growth trajectory, and for your business to deliver exceptional growth, your CFO needs to be fully engaged, committed and firing on all cylinders. I've said it before and I'll say it again. No business can become world-class without a world-class CFO.
When your CFO is performing, but not growing
It's entirely possible for a CFO to keep performing long after they've stopped growing. They're well paid. The systems are familiar. They've solved versions of these problems before. And because nothing is 'wrong', it's easy to miss what's happening: results are solid, but their interest is slipping. From the outside, everything still looks fine. And from a leadership perspective, that's precisely why this phase is easy to overlook.
The early signals of stagnation
The earliest signs of stagnation are rarely dramatic. More often, they show up as a gradual decline in energy and ambition. And because delivery remains strong, these shifts are easy to rationalise.
Over time, they tend to follow a familiar pattern:
• The CFO stops actively striving to be exceptional; delivering 'good enough' becomes acceptable
• They no longer put their hand up for stretch assignments
• They rely on their existing experience, rather than learning new skills or trying new activities, to get results
Why high performers (and their CEOs) are often the last to notice
For CEOs, the leadership responsibility is clear: notice early, and create a plan to keep them engaged and growing before stagnation sets in.
If you recognise some of these signs, The CFO Boardroom has been designed to help CFOs stay challenged, engaged, and growing in their role, rather than defaulting to either complacency or premature change.
So today, I encourage you to ask yourself this question honestly:
Have you noticed any of these signs in your CFO, and could you be supporting them better?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
This is the trusted guide for CFOs to lead with IMPACT and create VALUE.
It's time for women in finance to find power in their purpose!
