Russell Reynolds Associates: Inside the Mind of the CFO

Russell Reynolds Associates’ research finds characteristics possessed by leaders in various industries. This edition of the report uncovers the leadership and behavioral attributes of the CFO. The findings were found through comparisons of CEOs and CFOs.

Among the findings:

• CFOs eyeing the CEO role bring both significant assets and developmental challenges to the role
• CFOs turned CEO have found the transition challenging but rewarding
• CFOs with different personality attributes have served the needs of the full spectrum of the economic cycle
• CFOs have a greater range of options when they leave the CFO role—the most interesting of which is a pipeline becoming increasingly more direct to the board chairman role
• Passion for complexity and deep intellectual curiosity characterizes the CFOs who succeed most prominently against this mandate
• CFOs truly can be considered a co-pilot alongside the CEO of their company

Read the full report.