Four traits to cultivate.

• Author: Spanberger, Peter G.
• Position: Financial executives

Four traits to cultivate What was your job like 20 years ago? What is it like today? What are the most significant changes? Think about those changes and you may get a glimpse of what it will take to be a successful CFO in the 1990s.

Twenty years ago, the job of a CFO was to transmit information to line managers. Once you had transmitted the information, your basic responsibilities were fulfilled. Today, you must not only transmit the information, but you must interpret it. And your boss, the CEO, is probably asking what you can do to not only report what's going on, but to influence it. That's a radical change in scope.

Twenty years ago, your authority was unquestioned. Division and line people scrambled to get data to you for your monthly reports. Today, they have more autonomy. They don't respond as quickly or vigorously as they once did.

Twenty years ago, you seldom were involved in an acquisition or divestiture. Today, you could write a book on either subject, because you've been involved in both.

And 20 years ago, government regulations, interest rates, and financing arrangements were much simpler than they are today.

Twenty years ago, you worked for the same company from the time you graduated until the time you retired, and the ownership of that company was stable. Today, ownership changes, and the first thing a new owner does is bring in a new financial system. The practices that once were functional suddenly become dysfunctional, and the entire financial staff can be gone in a short period of time. These days, a "safe job" is an oxymoron.

Given all these changes, just what will it take to be a successful CFO in the 1990s?

1: Be smarter.

As far as raw intellectual power goes, not a lot can be done to improve what you have. But the way in which you use the power can make a big difference. Since the problems are more complex, the need for analysis is more vital than ever. Yet at the same time we're all running around with more to do than time to do it. Self-discipline to think through problems will be essential in the '90s.

How well you assess the intellectual power of the people you hire will also have a major bearing on your success. The complexity of a problem is a function of the number of variables that have to be considered in solving it. Intellectual capacity is, among other things, the ability to handle a number of relevant variables. Some people have the capacity to consider only four variables; others can take in five or...