Want to become a successful CFO? Quit your job...

I have always believed that when one has a career that they love, it will never seem like work. I have tried to live this principle throughout my career. It was a key driver for starting CFO2Grow. It is a key driver in pushing and continuing its growth and success.

One of the best things I love about my role is the trust people put in me. I get to be a repository of a lot of confidential information. People trust me with very important personal and corporate information that they won't share with many, if not another soul.

I'm grateful for that confidence. It allows me to do my job, and do it well.

Another thing that I love about what I do is that I get to follow businesses. What I enjoyed so much about the first few years of my career when I was an auditor at Ernst & Young was getting to see and learn from diverse businesses and understanding what made a successful business, as well as unsuccessful. Getting insights into profitability drivers and seeing economic activity in a microcosm was wonderful to observe. Seeing different management styles and ownership roles fascinated me. It still does today.

But as much as I have a job as Senior Partner and Practice Leader of our CFO Search practice, it's not my job. It's my passion. Well, one of my passions anyway.

I sometimes speak with senior finance executives who don't love their job. They don't because they haven't found anything in their career to be passionate about. Which is a shame.

I do however have the opportunity to connect with CFOs (present and future) who LOVE their job. They love their work so much, that if you ask them how many hours they put in last week, they would have to look at their agenda and start counting the hours.

I can tell within minutes of meeting a CFO whether they have a job or a passion. It's obvious. Truly successful CFOs don't have a job.

Want to become a successful CFO? Quit your job and find your passion.