A few years ago; while out running; I saw a young man in the distance. He kept stopping to shout at what I assumed was a girl running behind him. The scene outraged me: how could he treat her like that? I was about to intervene when suddenly a dog appeared running behind her. The young man wasn't shouting at the girl; he was shouting at the dog!
That moment comes to mind when I think about my early days as CFO. I arrived at a new company; with a position that had been vacant for months and many urgent decisions to be made.
In those days; every problem seemed to demand an immediate response; with the vision of a single person. In other words; I only saw the girl; but not the dog.
What I did was simple: I gathered everyone involved; listened to how they saw the situation; and; in the end; asked them how they would solve it. That habit — understanding first; listening second; and deciding together with the team — accelerated my learning and allowed me to find solutions that everyone could implement with greater conviction. Although sometimes this was not enough.
Over time; I understood that when making decisions—both professional and personal—it is not enough to look at what is coming our way. I understood that as a CFO; you don't always have someone to have an open conversation with. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions that may seem ill-advised or unpopular at first.
That's why I love my job at ERA Group. Over the years; I have been able to build strong relationships with other CFOs; becoming their ally; their confidante... and sometimes even the one who "bears" the cost of a difficult decision so that they can focus on the bottom line.
Making decisions alone can cause us to lose perspective. We don't always know that; behind what we see; there may be a dog running towards us.
If you want an ally in decision-making and to save money at the same time; ERA Group is what you need.
