One of my conversations following this posting led to identifying Muhammed Ali’s famous saying “Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee.”

I see where CFOs need to “Float like a Butterfly”. Not only do Chief Financial Officers need to be appreciated for their ability to (continually) transform, Successful CFOs are appreciated for their grace and form as they accomplish amazing tasks with what looks like relative ease.

Do CFOs need to “Sting like a Bee”? Do they need to inflict pain to accomplish corporate objectives?

Some may say that CFOs need to be a little rough to get things done. My experience in conversations with hundreds of CFOs over my career leads me to believe otherwise.

As an example, I had a conversation recently with a CFO who is in process of leading the integration of an acquisition of their company by a competitor. While his job is sunsetting, he was really proud of the fact that most of the operating employees of the company were able to keep their job.

I personally believe that most CFOs are more Butterfly than Bee. Successful CFOs know that they may have to sting from time to time, but if and when they take difficult decisions that could hurt others, they are not only aware of it, but try to minimize the impact as much as possible.

Do you think CFOs need to “Sting like a Bee”?