𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

They say to be successful, pick a lane. In 2025, I decided to drive the whole highway. It was a masterclass in the “Portfolio Career”, balancing three distinct identities.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿: I spent most of 2025 in the trenches serving as an Interim CFO for high-stakes organizations.

At a SaaS portfolio company, “strategy” wasn’t a deck. It was survival. It was architecting a 13-week cash flow model to navigate a critical liquidity crunch. It was leading a forensic audit of contracts to uncover—and recover—$4.5 million in uncaptured revenue.

At a growth-oriented private equity firm, the work was equally gritty. It involved navigating the maze of SEC compliance, pushing audits across two dozen funds, and preparing the operational runway to launch a new $250M FinTech fund.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯: You cannot lead finance effectively if you are afraid to get your hands dirty. The best insights don’t come from the boardroom; they come from the reconciliation.

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿: While the Operator was fixing the engine, the Advisor had to explain how to drive the car.

Taking on a role at a global research and advisory firm will challenge me to shift from “doing” to “guiding.” This role involves acting as a trusted advisor to over 25 CFOs and senior leaders.

It’s a different kind of pressure. It requires taking the scars I earned as an operator: the missed forecasts, the difficult turnarounds, the cash crunches and turning them into a roadmap for others.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯: Knowledge is a depreciating asset unless you share it. Helping a peer avoid a pothole I stepped in years ago is the highest ROI work I do.

𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿: And then, there was this: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗙𝗢.

I started this blog not because I have all the answers, but because I wanted to process the questions. Writing forced me to be honest about the gap between the textbook and reality.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯: We often think leaders need to be impenetrable. I found that being vulnerable, admitting what I got wrong and what I’m still learning, actually built more trust than being “right.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 The “Operator” gave me the credibility. The “Advisor” gave me the perspective. The “Storyteller” gave me the connection.

As we head into 2026, I’m doubling down on the intersection of all three. Because the best leaders aren’t just the ones who can run the numbers—they are the ones who can teach them, share them, and live them.

Question: As you review your year, did you spend more time “doing,” “teaching,” or “learning”? Which one gets the focus in 2026?

#TheAccidentalCFO #FinanceLeaders #InterimCFO #Leadership #2025Reflections #inersec