“Stories and lessons from an unexpected journey in finance.”

Most of us prefer to share our wins. The big deals closed, the funding raised, the transformation pulled off. But the truth is, the lessons that stick with us longest usually come from failure. I know mine did.

Early in my career, I was running point on a major transformation project. The kind with moving parts across continents, teams who didn’t speak the same first language (literally and figuratively), and stakes in the hundreds of millions. I had the financial plan nailed down. I knew the numbers inside and out. What I didn’t have nailed down was people.

I charged forward with the assumption that because the math made sense, the strategy would follow. My team didn’t need more convincing—they needed listening, alignment, and context. Instead of building consensus, I bulldozed. Instead of slowing down to understand concerns, I sped up. You can probably guess the ending: the project stalled, trust was eroded, and it took twice as long to recover.

It stung. Honestly, it felt like failure. But it was also one of the most valuable lessons of my career:

Leadership isn’t about being right—it’s about bringing people along.

The best financial model in the world won’t matter if the people who have to live it don’t believe in it. Numbers tell a story, but if the story doesn’t connect with people, the transformation won’t take root.

Since then, I’ve carried this lesson with me into every CFO role, every boardroom, every turnaround. Today, before I present a plan, I ask myself: Have I brought others into the process? Do they feel ownership of the outcome? Are we aligned on why, not just on what?

That experience—painful as it was—taught me to shift from “selling” to “listening,” from “proving” to “partnering.” And when I look back now, I don’t see it as failure at all. I see it as the turning point that made me the kind of leader I am today.

Because here’s the truth: failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s the tuition we pay for wisdom.

👉 I’m curious—what’s a lesson you learned the hard way, and how has it shaped the way you lead today?

#TheAccidentalCFO #inersec #Leadership #Resilience #Growth