Is it possible to be an amateur CFO? If you’re reading this, here’s betting you are the ultimate professional CFO, right?
Let’s do some quick comparing and contrasting.
Shane Parrish Knocked it Out of the Park
I’m a big fan of Shane Parrish and the Farnam Street blog. One of my favorite posts is The Difference Between Amateurs and Professionals–it’s outstanding.
I won’t steal all of Shane’s thunder, but here are a few nuggets from that excellent post:
- Amateurs stop when they achieve something. Professionals understand the initial achievement is just the beginning.
- Amateurs give up at the first sign of trouble and assume they’re failures. Professionals see failure as part of the path to growth and mastery.
- Amateurs focus on being right. Professionals focus on getting the best outcome.
- Amateurs focus on tearing other people down. Professionals focus on making everyone better.
A Small Homework Assignment
If you are like me, you’ll probably read the list again and probably a third time. You might even find yourself disagreeing with a couple bullet points. I did. But his points are well taken.
When you are done reading it, have your clients read it too.
So are you an amateur or a professional? I think I know the answer.