Work Institute’s 2019 Retention Report reprises a familiar refrain:

“Career development continues to be the leading cause of employee turnover in the US.”

Yet again, organizations, talent professionals and leaders have to face the hard data and hard reality that we’ve still not cracked the code on what matters most to employees: career opportunities. It’s not for lack of effort. Companies are investing extraordinary resources in skills training, portals, online systems and processes designed to make this happen. And it all falls short. Here’s why.

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Interactions with the Board of Directors can be intimidating for a first time CFO, or even an experienced CFO being introduced to a new Board. To help navigate the critical relationship between the CFO and their Board we interviewed four seasoned public company directors and received a treasure trove of insightful responses.

In part III of the series we cover questions 6-7 and potpourri from our interview with with the Directors.

6. How should the CFO communicate with the Board? On one extreme - should conversations be led by the Board and the CFO brought in as needed/instructed. On the other extreme should the CFO have full access to the Board on whatever subject they believe is worth the Boards time.

7. As a Board member if you could hire for only one quality in the CFO what would that quality be?

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Interactions with the Board of Directors can be intimidating for a first time CFO, or even an experienced CFO being introduced to a new Board. To help navigate the critical relationship between the CFO and their Board we interviewed four seasoned public company directors and received a treasure trove of insightful responses.

In part II of the series we cover questions 3-5 from our interview with with the Directors.

3. Are there characteristics you have seen in CFOs that are particularly useful from a Board of Directors perspective?

4. Are there any backgrounds (experience or formal training) that seem to develop more capable CFOs than other backgrounds?

5. Is there a “good way” or “right way” for a CFO to publicly oppose a decision made by the CEO or the Board?

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Interactions with the Board of Directors can be intimidating for a first time CFO, or even an experienced CFO being introduced to a new Board. To help navigate the critical relationship between the CFO and their Board we interviewed four seasoned public company directors and received a treasure trove of insightful responses.

In part I of the series we cover questions 1 and 2 from our interview with the Directors.

1. What are the key roles the Board expects out of the CFO in their role as a member of the leadership team?

2. What are the primary roles the CFO plays in serving the Board?

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This instructional video covers why account reconciliations are critical to running a well-managed business and how you can get there.

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