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June 26, 2014 By Samuel Dergel 5 Comments

What a CFO should read every day

CFOs are busy people.

Yet, to be the best CFO they can be, they need to be on top of items that matter to them and the company they work for.

Having written a book targeting the Chief Financial Officer, I am learning a lot about the reading habits of these senior finance executives. Out of all the media that is available today, email is still the most comfortable media for the CFO. So, to keep on top of the important topics in the CFO world, senior finance executives should get a daily update of relevant news and articles.Daily News

Here are my recommendations of emails that a CFO should receive daily.

FEI Daily– brought to you by Financial Executives International, this compendium started this year and points to articles on the web that are relevant to the CFO, as well as fresh content created by FEI itself. Visit their website, or sign up here.

SmartBrief for CFOs – The SmartBrief series of updates targets different readers daily, and their SmartBrief for CFOs is popular. SmartBrief is not a mainstream old school media property, but links through to articles of relevance to the Chief Financial Officer and other senior finance executives. I personally like their polls on hot topics. You can sample their report for today here, or sign up here.

CFO Daily Alert – Published by CFO Magazine, the grey lady of CFO journalism, this daily alert points to their relevant topics covered in their magazine and website. As one of the key content creators for the Chief Financial Officer, knowing what is important to CFO Magazine can allow you to further your own point of view on important CFO related topics. Join their mailing list here.

Being on top of what is happening in the world is important to the CFO and other senior finance executives.

What do you need to read every day?

 

Filed Under: CFO Reading, CFO Research, Financial Executive Coaching

May 29, 2014 By Samuel Dergel Leave a Comment

Listen In: Radio Interview with Bloomberg Radio May 20, 2014 #BBGCFO

I had the opportunity to be on a panel at the Bloomberg CFO Conference in New York City on May 20th, 2014. I plan on blogging on my experience at this exciting CFO oriented event soon.

In the mean time, you may enjoy listening to an interview I had on Bloomberg Radio with Carol Massar and Pimm Fox. They asked me about my book, Guide to CFO Success, as well as CFOs and the companies that hire them.

If you like what I had to say, please share your favorite quote and point them to this radio interview.

Thanks,
Samuel

Filed Under: Podcast

May 14, 2014 By Samuel Dergel 1 Comment

BlueSteps Interview – Executive Search Consultant Q&A: Guide to CFO Success

I was recently interviewed by Bluesteps, a service of The Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), on my recent book, Guide to CFO Success.

Here is an excerpt from the interview. To read the interview in its entirety, please click here.

+++++++++++++++++

BlueSteps chats with Samuel Dergel, Executive Search Consultant at Stanton Chase International, who recently published Guide to CFO Success.

First of all, thank you for taking the time to speak with the AESC and BlueSteps about the CFO role and your new book, Guide to CFO Success. Can you tell us about the work you do at Stanton Chase International?
 
I work in executive search, with a focus on the Office of Finance. Working across the United States and Canada, as part of our CFO and Financial Executive Practice, I help companies hire their next Chief Financial Officer, and work with CFOs to build a finance team that will ensure their success. In addition to working with CFOs and other Financial Executives, I do executive coaching.
 
In your book, you talk about the reality of the CFO role vs. what the CFO role is perceived to be. How do you define the CFO role?
 
The role of the Chief Financial Officer is a critical one for all organizations. The Board and the CEO set the expectations for the CFO, and it is important for the CFO to deliver on these expectations. In essence, the role of the CFO is whatever the company deems it to be.
 
Guide to CFO Success focuses on all stages of the CFO’s career, from searching for a new executive job to building out her team. Which career stages are most CFOs unprepared for when managing their careers?
 
Career transition. CFOs may be well trained to be great CFOs, but no Chief Financial Officer has been trained to become a CFO in Transition. My experience shows that CFOs who are focusing on their career at the same time as their CFO role for their employer are at an advantage over those that just give 110% to their employer. CFOs who continue to develop themselves and network properly throughout their career minimize the chances that they will ever be in transition, or, if they end up in between opportunities, their network will quickly activate to their advantage.

Other questions answered in this interview include:

What has changed about the CFO role in the last 5-10 years? How have long-standing CFOs adapted to these changes?

In your book, you discuss in transition CFOs and the best ways to cope with searching for a new position. What advice do you have for CFOs who are currently in transition?

How can a CFO candidate best present himself to get noticed by executive recruiters in today’s marketplace?

In your book, you highlight the importance of “critical early wins” for a newly hired CFO. What should a new CFO focus on during the first few days and months on the job?

A major theme in your book focuses on the importance of focusing on one’s own career even when happily employed. Why is it important for CFOs to focus on both their career and their employer?

Do you have any recommendations for CFOs who have difficulty finding the time to focus on their career while they’re employed?

One unique thing about your book is that you focus on the CFO as a leader rather than the CFO as the technical, number cruncher. A significant part of being a leader is maintaining strong relationships. Which relationships do most CFOs find to be the most difficult and what recommendations do you have for CFOs to navigate those rocky relationships?

What changes should CFOs prepare for in the next 5-10 years? What new skills might they need? What will they need to be able adapt to in the workplace?

To read the interview in its entirety, please click here.

Filed Under: BlueSteps, Books, Books, books for CFOs, books for CFOs, Hire your Next CFO, Hire your Next CFO

May 30, 2013 By Samuel Dergel Leave a Comment

VIDEO: Webinar Presentation – CFO Succession: The Right Way to Grow your Company’s next CFO

On May 23, 2013 I presented this Webinar on Proformative.

To get more information on this presentation, please view this blog.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55pbBzKiojU&w=480&h=360]

Links referred to in this presentation:

    • CFO Moves
    • Blog: Why do CFOs Leave?
    • Blog: CFOs: Do you want to become a Controller? This CFO did just that.

If you have any questions on CFO Succession, please complete the form below and I will be pleased to get back to you.

[contact-form subject='[Samuel%26#039;s CFO Blog’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Question for Samuel on CFO Succession’ type=’textarea’/][/contact-form]

Filed Under: Assessment, Board, Board, Build your Finance Team, Build your Finance Team, CEO, CFO Moves, CFO Moves, Guide to CFO Success, Guide to CFO Success, Guide to CFO Success, HR, Human Resources, IPO, Social Media, Team Structuring, Wiley, Wiley, Wiley, Youtube

April 23, 2013 By Samuel Dergel 3 Comments

Quoted In: Why Strong CFOs Know Who Will Replace Them

Recently I was quoted in an article titled “Why Strong CFOs Know Who Will Replace Them” by Sarah Johnson on the Proformative Website.

Here are paragraphs where I was quoted.

“It’s not surprising a company like that has that kind of planning,” says Samuel Dergel, director, executive search, at Stanton Chase International. “Most companies do not.”

…

In fact, succession planning falls under CFOs’ risk management duties and their responsibility for business continuity, Dergel suggests. Just as CFOs have to ask “what if” questions about the viability of their company’s suppliers and credit risk, for example, they need to go through the possible scenarios for what would happen if they were incapacitated. “It’s the people who represent a company,” Dergel. “They are a key part, and if there’s instability in that, then the company is not stable.”

…

While talk about succession planning in the corporate world usually centers around the future of the CEO role, the CFO position deserves attention as well. “The CFO is an important figure in an organization. The more important they are, the more important it is to have a succession plan,” Dergel says.

At the very least, Dergel suggests, finance chiefs should – in addition to all their other duties – give the matter some thought.

To read the entire article, click here.

Filed Under: Proformative, Proformative, Succession Planning, Succession Planning, Succession Planning

November 23, 2011 By Samuel Dergel Leave a Comment

Quoted in: The Small-Firm Path to CFO

Dear Readers,

I was quoted in an article that appeared in CFO World by Lisa Yoon that was released this morning. Below is the part of the article in which I was quoted. For the full article, please follow this link. As always, your comments are appreciated and valued.

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving,

Samuel

***********************************************************************************************************************

Some Exceptions

For his part, though, CFO recruiter and consultant Samuel Dergel has a more qualified view. Certainly, more smaller firms “are getting more sophisticated” in assessing their need for a CFO, he agrees. “But not all.” Says Dergel, “It depends on the ownership structure.” He notes that manufacturing companies with sales of $50 million or more, for example, may well need for finance chiefs. But at private companies where much of the decision-making is done by the founder, there’s often a tendency to resist turning over the reins to someone else.

From the rising finance star’s perspective, many times “a small-company CFO position will not be helpful” on the bath to a big-company top job, he adds. And in general, a better tack might be to go first to the finance organizations of large companies, and use that experience to move forward toward CFO skills.

Meanwhile, he notes, if there is going to be a jump from a small-company CFO slote to a large-company one, it is best to stay within the same industry, he says. In general, when small businesses hire CFOs, “they usually take the path of least resistance,” he notes. “It’s hard for a small- or midsize company to give you a chance to grow as a finance leader if you don’t have same-industry experience.”

Filed Under: All of Samuel's Blogs, All of Samuel's Blogs, All of Samuel's Blogs, All of Samuel's Blogs, All of Samuel's Blogs, All of Samuel's Blogs, Career Management, Career Management, Career Management, CEO, CEO, CFO, CFO, CFO, CFO, CFO, CFO Coach, CFO Coach, CFO Coach, CFO Coaching, CFO Coaching, CFO Relationships, CFO Relationships, CFO Search, CFO Search, CFO Search, CFO Search, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Coaching, Executive Coaching, Executive Coaching, Executive Search, Executive Search, Executive Search, Finance Team, Finance Team, Finance Team, On the Road to CFO, On the Road to CFO, Privately Held, Public Company, Speaking and Training, Speaking and Training, Speaking and Training, Successful CFO, Successful CFO, Talent Management, Talent Management, Talent Management, Talent Management, Training and Development, Training and Development, Training and Development, VP Finance

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