What are the critical missions of a chief financial officer and how have the competencies evolved over time? How does one conduct Post Merger Integration? Those are some of the questions that I covered in a recent conversation with Christian Fife, formerly CFO at two publicly listed companies on the New York Stock Exchange: Wabtec Corporation and Wabco Holdings.
I/ A few words on Christian Fife
Having lived in 12 different countries, Christian speaks fluently seven different languages.
II/ Emotional intelligence
In addition to the analytical abilities that the chief financial officer must possess, Christian believes that, in the future, emotional intelligence, or the “emotional quotient,” will be critical to succeed on the job. What does it involve? The ability to be aware of one’s own emotions as well as being aware of emotions of others to find win-win playing ground.
Christian mentioned that emotional skills are increasingly important today, as we move towards remote working. Developing emotional intelligence should help CFOs create self a sense of belonging within their teams, which, in the medium to long run, should lead to lower employee turnover. Sounds important considering the Great Resignation.
Want to hear more about my conversation with Christian? Click on the video!
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