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It\\u2019s a familiar sequence: A strong-minded investor musters the will to lead and steps into the CEO office determined to revitalize a struggling technology company and put it back on the growth track.

For Bill Adams, this swift turn of events occurred only a year into his first industry stint as a corporate controller\\u2014a career chapter, he recalls fondly, that included a devoted CFO mentor.

However, the company\\u2019s CFO and CEO had exited the firm just prior the investor\\u2019s arrival, and Adams found himself stepping into a finance leadership role. Although stressful, the circumstances swung open the door for Adams to not only oversee the finance function but also have the opportunity to play a more strategic role in the business.

In short, he would now be in lockstep with the new CEO as they together championed the latter\\u2019s strategic vision that would upend the tech company\\u2019s growing focus on software revenue and double down on hardware sales.

Or so the CEO believed.

\\u201cThe challenge that I faced was that I didn\\u2019t agree with him,\\u201d explains Adams, whose in-depth knowledge of the business made him quietly question the new CEO\\u2019s big bet on hardware.

\\u201cThe company was full-steam-ahead focusing on software and system development, and the hardware part had already become secondary,\\u201d adds Adams, who says that his broadened responsibilities within the company allowed him to reach out to different stakeholders and bring back \\u201csuggestions\\u201d to the CEO.

\\u201cBeing able to talk to customers was extremely enlightening in terms of how to steer the company in the direction that it needed to go,\\u201d comments Adams, who says that at the time the company counted Boeing and General Dynamics among its largest customers.

According to Adams, the company\\u2019s strategy would continue to evolve as it lessened its hardware orientation and came to enjoy newfound success.

Even today, as Adams reflects on the circumstances that first advanced him into a CFO role, his sense of apprehension and excitement lingers:

\\u201cI was not yet 30 years old when I was thrust into the CFO role at a public company, not really knowing where I was going or what I was doing.\\u201d \\u2013Jack Sweeney