Are you "strategic"

CFO Magazine, November 1, 2009
Today, as companies gear up for postrecession growth, CEOs are more eager than ever to hire CFOs who are not only "strategic," but "strategic business partners," according to the exact words of several executive recruiters..
However, they will prove that they have a broad enough command of the company that they could step into the CEO role at any time. A recent research suggests that only
only 17% were deemed to be "performance leaders," executives who react quickly to change and take advantage of opportunities for their companies, and whose actions can be correlated with shareholder returns during their tenure. The rest fell into categories that sound perfectly acceptable — "process optimizers" and "consensus builders" — but that indicate executives who do not move companies forward.
How can CFOs develop themselves to the role of a “business partner”.
Strategic CFOs delegate. CFOs must first hire or train others who are strong enough to handle their roles with a minimum of intervention.
Strategic CFOs start with the business, then move toward the numbers.
CFOs have strong relationships with various people in the businesses.
Strategic CFOs push the boundaries — but recognize the limits of their role. To broaden their horizons, CFOs should educate themselves about various areas of the business and take on incremental responsibilities, with an eye toward building up their experience base.
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