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Looking back on his first CFO role, Steve Vintz recalls waking up one morning and thinking that he might not have a job. \xa0

The night before, Vintz had told his company\u2019s CEO that he was having second thoughts about a deck of slides highlighting the virtues of a proposed acquisition.

\u201cIt just hit me: This is a deal we can\u2019t do\u2014this is not our deal,\u201d recalls Vintz, recollecting the moment of insight that he experienced and the subsequent butterflies set free.

The company\u2019s board was expecting to meet later in the week, and the \u201cboard deck\u201d was the anticipated precursor to a presentation that Vintz and his CEO were preparing to give about a promising acquisition target.

Vintz continues: \u201cGood news travels fast and bad news travels faster, but I caught this a little late in the process. I wish I had felt this way earlier on, but it was a reality. CFOs must have conviction, and conviction is all about doing the right thing.\u201d

The courage of Vintz\u2019s convictions were quickly put to the test when he told his CEO about his reservations concerning the deal\u2014an acquisition that had already received strong support and enthusiasm from the firm\u2019s management team. \xa0\xa0

\u201cThe conversation did not go well. The next day, I called our CMO and asked if I should even come back into the office,\u201d comments Vintz, who adds that the CMO encouraged him to return and speak further with the CEO, who appeared to have begun to digest some of what he had heard the night before.

Days later, when the company\u2019s board members gathered, the CFO was once more in the hot seat.

Says Vintz: \u201cThe board wanted to understand why we were having second thoughts, and as we talked, it became clear to the CEO and management team why that was not the time to do this deal.\u201d

In the end, the company\u2019s board ultimately praised the management team for bringing forth its concerns, and a few of its members even repeated the business maxim about how sometimes the best deals are the ones that you don\u2019t do.

Reflecting on his moment of insight, Vintz observes: \u201cI could have very easily sent out the board deck and told myself, \u2018I don\u2019t want to look bad, and maybe it will be okay\u2019\u2014but as CFO, you have to listen to your inner self.\u201d \u2013Jack Sweeney