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The year was 2015, but for Jeff Laborde, a seasoned finance leader kicking off his second C-suite tour of duty, it seemed as though the conference room that he had just entered had transported him back to 2005\u2014or was it 1995?

Across the way, an executive who had noticed Laborde\u2019s presence stopped the meeting and queried: \u201cJeff, what are you doing here? Why are you in my meeting?\u201d

Caught by surprise and somewhat tongue-tied, Laborde recalls, he registered a less than articulate response to the question that had quickly swallowed up the room\u2019s attention.  

Having only recently joined the company as CFO, Laborde was seeking to sit in on a number of meetings in order to better understand how the company operated. Given that this particular gathering had been expected to discuss go-to-market priorities for the upcoming quarter, Laborde had made it his business to attend.

\u201cI was only following my instincts, and it came as a shock to me to find their swim lanes so impervious to being swapped or crossed,\u201d continues Laborde, who adds that the experience highlighted for him the importance of fully understanding a role\u2019s limitations before accepting an appointment.

It wouldn\u2019t be long, though, before Laborde\u2019s career transported him back to 2015. \u201cI realized that I wouldn\u2019t be happy in the strict silo of finance without understanding what\u2019s around the corner,\u201d he remembers.

Still, Laborde tells us, finance leaders who expect to cross lanes and enter different operational areas of the business must always be approachable, while at the same time being prepared to experience what he refers to as \u201cOh crap!\u201d moments.  

He doesn\u2019t provide us with much further detail here, but we assume that such instances involve developments that are perceived to put the operations of the business at significant risk. Nonetheless, Laborde\u2019s advisory is less about managing risk per se and more about serving as a reminder to finance leaders to be mindful of the nature of their response to crisis.

\u201cStay calm, get your facts straight, don\u2019t overreact\u2014and just know that these moments are going to come,\u201d emphasizes Laborde, who characterizes such moments as the status quo for CFOs who make looking around corners a priority.

For those finance leaders who do not, Laborde tell us, time travel remains a viable option.

He observes: \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t assume that you\u2019ll be welcome within core areas of the business. There are some CEOs and ownership structures that don\u2019t expect or want the CFO to go there.\u201d \u2013Jack Sweeney