CFO Behaviors - simlogi

What is your Monday morning routine?
I truly enjoy Mondays because for me it’s a fresh look from what I call the 5,000 ft view that encompasses the engagement status, the team’s position, and the road ahead – which I typically view in 5-day sprints. This is a lean operating characteristic that has stuck with me for years and, for me, it works. The early morning routine is all about assessing, aligning, prioritizing and communicating. My handwritten to-do list on a 5×8 perforated yellow pad and organized chronologically by date is the primary driver of this effort and it is backed by engagement management software that maintains customized accounting schedules, team assignments and task-related timelines for client success. Monday is my tone setter.

What beverage accompanies your Monday morning?
Black coffee – whole bean, medium-fine ground, from various roasters, poured over into a porcelain mug.🤷🏻‍♂️

How do you stay mentally strong for the CFO job?
This is a loaded question, but for me it begins with balancing the spiritual, mental, and physical. Of the three, the one that requires the most protection for me is the mental because it is often the most easily overloaded. Protecting the mental means allocating space daily for the spiritual and the physical. I pray in the morning and I listen to Christian radio to begin my day. And I am still somewhat of a gym rat, with a special appreciation for box-style gyms. I don’t think enough can be said about the superpower of exercise and the release of endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and endocannabinoids that improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and act as natural painkillers. I exercise for my mental health.

What are you most excited about professionally?
Architecting and rearchitecting successful tech stacks for small and midsized companies that deliver management insights and capabilities to help these companies grow and thrive. It’s absolutely the most interesting thing I do and have done since starting Simlogi LLC almost 12 years ago now. It requires vision, know-how, buy-in, planning and execution. You have to have possess a well-rounded skill set along with patience to get it done and when it works and a solution is delivered, it’s magical. Machine learning and AI are creating rearchitecting opportunities, the two are not the same.

What is top of mind for you for next year?
Team – Making sure we have the right team; the right skills in the right seats.
Accountability – Making sure the right systems are intact to measure and manage performance.
Executing – Identifying opportunities in our engagements for 1% improvements.
Learning – Always be learning.