The Real Lever of Growth: Moving the Middle

Most leadership teams focus on the "big" financial items: capital structure, fundraising, and board decks. But the core of a CFO’s role is actually more subtle: managing incentives.

Generally, performance follows a bell curve. Most employees are "3s"—solid, reliable, and satisfactory. The real question for a CFO isn't how to manage the outliers, but how to move the average employee from a 3 to a 4. If you move the middle, you move the whole company.

A high-leverage CFO doesn't just ask, "What does this incentive cost?" They ask, "What behavior does this incentive buy?" By aligning rewards with strategy across every department, the CFO transforms the company from a group simply "doing their job" into an organization that owns its outcomes.

The Awkward Fear vs. The Reality

We often let good relationships die from neglect because we’re afraid of appearing transactional. We think: "If I cared, why haven’t I stayed in touch?"

But a long silence isn't an indictment; it’s just life. Careers pivot, cities change, and "bubbles" shift. Reconnecting after a gap doesn't make you opportunistic—it makes you human.

The Rule: If seeing someone’s name triggers a positive memory, that is reason enough to reach out. You don’t need a strategic angle or an immediate "ask." You just need to be the person who says: "I’m glad our paths crossed, and I’d love to hear what your world looks like now."