CFOs can no longer just stay on the sidelines and deliver the numbers when asked. They must have an active role with management in understanding and determining the future course of a firm, say the authors of CFO Survival Guide.
The guide focuses on the belief that, in the end, everything is rooted in relationships, and thus every CFO must become a student of human development and behavior. The book provides guidelines for CFOs in interacting with all levels of the organization, from CEO to the "organizational stakeholders"—those doing the actual work of producing products and delivering services.
As the authors, a husband and wife consulting team, aptly point out, "quantitative models without the balance of the qualitative understanding of the dimensions of human relationships get people in trouble every time."