7 soft skills of highly influential CFOs
Master these and be a CFO people follow
Hard skills get you hired.
Soft skills keep you growing.
7 Powerful Soft Skills That Separate Top 1% CFOs From The Rest
1. Listening
Most CFOs talk too much. That’s why no one listens to them.
A CFO who truly listens doesn’t just hear words.
They understand what’s unsaid.
Fear, frustration, hesitation.
Executives don’t want spreadsheets. They want clarity.
Investors don’t want excuses. They want confidence.
Employees don’t want lectures. They want to be heard.
Want to become a trusted advisor?
Shut up and listen.
The best listeners let silence do the work.
People will fill it.
2. Praising
Most CFOs are seen as the bad guy. The one who says “no.”
But a CFO who acknowledges wins builds influence.
A team saves $2M on software? Highlight their impact.
Sales lands a massive deal? Show them how it strengthens cash flow.
A junior analyst pulls game-changing insights? Give them the credit.
A CFO who only talks about costs and risks kills morale.
A CFO who recognizes value creates it.
Praise in public. Critique in private.
That’s how you build trust.
3. Validating
Nobody follows a CFO who dismisses their concerns.
They follow the one who says:
“I hear you. That makes sense. Here’s how we move forward.”
People don’t need you to agree with them.
They need you to acknowledge them.
Common mistake? Jumping straight to logic.
“The budget is too tight.”
Bad response: “We can’t afford more.”
Better: “I get why this feels limiting. Let’s find a creative way to make it work.”“We need to take more risks.”
Bad response: “We can’t afford that.”
Better: “I love the ambition. Let’s structure this to balance risk and reward.”
Validation isn’t weakness. It’s a weapon for influence.
Mirror people’s words back to them.
It instantly makes them feel heard.
4. Confidence
A hesitant CFO is a dangerous CFO.
Hesitation creates doubt. Doubt creates panic. Panic destroys value.
The best CFOs walk into a boardroom and say:
“Here’s the plan. Let’s execute.”
Confidence isn’t arrogance. It’s conviction backed by preparation.
If you don’t sound sure, nobody will believe you even when you’re right.
5. Humor
Numbers stress people out.
A CFO who knows how to break tension controls the room.
A well-timed joke before a brutal financial update? Diffuses fear.
Light sarcasm in a high-pressure meeting? Creates connection.
Self-deprecating humor after a misstep? Builds trust.
People follow leaders who make them feel safe. And humor is a shortcut to that.
The best humor isn’t forced.
It’s observational. Stay sharp.
6. Storytelling
Numbers don’t inspire action. Stories do.
A CFO’s job isn’t to present data. It’s to make people care about it.
Bad CFO: “Our burn rate increased by 20%. We need to cut costs.”
Great CFO: “We’re spending like we have unlimited cash. At this rate, we’ll be out of money in 18 months. Let’s fix it now so we don’t have to make desperate decisions later.”
One is just data. The other is a story with urgency, stakes, and clarity.
If you can tell a compelling story with numbers, people will listen and act.
The best storytelling CFOs turn complex data into simple, emotional narratives.
7. Persuading
You can have the best strategy in the world…
But if you can’t sell it, nobody will follow.
Great CFOs know how to:
Sell investors on a vision (so they fund it)
Sell execs on financial discipline (so they respect it)
Sell teams on operational changes (so they adopt them)
Most CFOs rely on logic alone.
But the best CFOs mix logic + emotion.
Bad persuasion: “We need to improve cash flow.”
Good persuasion: “If we improve cash flow, we gain control over our future. No more desperate fundraising. No more layoffs. Just fully focus on building the best company possible.”
The best CFOs don’t just analyze.
They influence.
Speak in outcomes, not just analysis.
The Bottom Line:
CFOs fail not because they’re bad with numbers, but because they’re bad with people.
Master these 7 powerful skills and you won’t just be a CFO.
You’ll be a leader people follow.
And that's all for this week.
Side note: I'd love to help you get ahead with data. Complete this tiny survey.
I’m Wouter Born. A CFOTech investor, advisor and entrepreneur.
Find me on LinkedIn
P.S. A lost reputation destroys everything
P.S.2 Read CFO's 7-Step AI Strategy Plan and get ahead of 99% of CFOs with this practical 7-step plan
Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
Promote your business to 8,000+ CFOs and senior finance people by sponsoring this newsletter. (Booking 3 months in advance.)
If you’re building an AI-powered CFO tech startup, I’d love to hear more and explore if it’s a fit for our investment portfolio.