Brian Hughes on why the best CFOs follow the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared

<p>Looking for a long-term view of what it means to be a good CFO? Brian Hughes is a retired partner of KPMG and an experienced advisor to public VC- and PE-backed portfolio companies.</p><p>His perspective spans an entire career of public and private market transactions, overseeing multiple market cycles--like the dot-com bubble and the 2008 recession--and becoming acquainted with the needs of companies through different life cycles. He is uniquely positioned to deliver a holistic picture of our current environment and provide advice to financial leaders.</p><p>On this episode of The Modern CFO, Brian advises CFOs to plan ahead--not just for internal organization, but for future macroeconomic shifts. As he sees it, a modern CFO needs to ensure the financial plumbing of an organization is not just working, but safeguarded for what lies ahead.</p><p><strong>Show Links</strong></p><ul> <li>Connect with Brian Hughes on<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-f-hughes/"> LinkedIn</a> or<a href="https://twitter.com/bfhughes7?lang=en"> Twitter</a> </li> <li>Connect with Andrew Seski on<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-seski-819b2581/"> LinkedIn</a> </li> </ul><p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p><p><br><strong>5:09 - Understand the CFO role</strong></p><p>In Brian’s view, the most important job of the CFO is being a great partner to the CEO. The second job is to be strategic, collaborative, and adaptable.</p><em>“Number one, you know, I think if you're a CFO in a company you've got to understand what your role is. And there's a lot of different things, but I think being the CEO's trusted business partner is probably by far one of the most important things that you can do as a CFO. And you need to really establish that on day one because that's the individual that's helping set strategy and direction. At the same time, I think you also, as an individual, you need to be aware of sort of what your strengths and your weaknesses are, which will dictate the type of CFO you're going to be...I also think t