Guide to CFO Success: Leadership Strategies for Corporate Financial Professionals

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Relationships with Outsiders

CHAPTERS 9 AND 10 discussed the important relationships you have as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with the people you work for (Chapter 9) and the people you work with inside your organization (Chapter 10). This chapter speaks to the left side of your relationship map, the people you work with outside your company (see Figure 8.1 for the CFO Relationship Map).

As CFO, you have a number of relationships with people who do not work in your business. The work they do has an important impact on your business. Successful relationships with these individuals are necessary for you to get your job done and be the best CFO you can be. Not only is having a good relationship with these important people necessary, having a difficult relationship with any of these people may lead to significant complications for you and the business you support.

This chapter reviews some key relationships that are common to many businesses. Your important outside relationships may include others that are not discussed in this chapter. Whether the relationships mentioned here apply to you or you have other important relationships, applying the principles and strategies discussed here will make a difference to you, improve the quality and effectiveness of your dealings with these people, and help you become a more successful CFO.

To get the best out of your relationships with people outside your company, remember the four elements of relationship management: knowledge, ...