Last week I wrote about fulfillment, and how for me, a lot of fulfillment comes from being a guide. I like being at the table with business owners and leadership teams when the questions are complicated, the next step is not obvious, and the numbers need to be translated into decisions the business can actually act on.

This week, I want to talk about what happens when you are the person in that seat.

There is a moment that most CFOs -- and most people preparing to become one -- do not fully anticipate until they are in it.

It is not the first board presentation. It is not the first time you have to deliver bad news. It is quieter than that. It is the moment you realize that the financial reality of this organization runs through you now. The decisions land on your desk. The gaps surface to you first. And the people around you are looking to you for clarity when you are still trying to find it yourself.

That is the weight of the chair. And it is real.

The technical skills get you to the role. They do not prepare you for it.

Most finance professionals who step into a CFO position have strong technical foundations. They know the numbers. They can build the model, close the books, and run the analysis. That competence is what gets them hired.

But the CFO role is not primarily a technical job. It is a judgment job. It is about translating financial reality into language the rest of the organization can act on. It is about knowing which problems to name and when to name them. It is about sitting in rooms where the pressure is high, the information is incomplete, and the decision cannot wait.

None of that comes from technical training. And most people who step into CFO roles for the first time learn it the hard way.

The cost of learning on the job is not just personal.

When a CFO is still finding their footing, the whole organization feels it. Decisions take longer. Communication gets murky. Leaders who should be leaning on financial clarity for guidance are not getting what they need. The business operates below its potential while the person in the chair figures out what the role actually requires.

That is not a failure of capability. It is a gap in preparation. And it is one that can be closed -- but not by doing more technical work. By developing judgment. By learning how to show up in the room before the room demands it.

The best CFOs I have worked with did not figure this out alone.

They had someone in their corner. A mentor, an advisor, a person who had already sat in similar chairs and could help them see around corners they had not turned yet. That kind of guidance compresses the learning curve significantly and changes what it costs -- personally and organizationally -- to step into a bigger role.

A good guide does not take the responsibility off your shoulders. But they can help you think more clearly, ask better questions, avoid avoidable mistakes, and grow into the role with more confidence.

That is what I am building toward with the mentorship work I mentioned last week.

For people preparing for or stepping into the CFO role, this is the heart of the work: learning how to lead financial conversations with clarity, judgment, and presence.

For people building a fractional CFO practice, this matters too. Your clients are often carrying this same responsibility. The better you understand what it feels like to sit in that seat, the better equipped you are to guide them through the decisions in front of them.

If this idea of having a guide in your corner is resonating, I will be sharing more soon.