How to Build Strong Executive Relationships for Company Success
Building strong executive relationships is crucial for company success. This article delves into effective strategies for fostering powerful connections within leadership teams. Drawing on insights from industry experts, it offers practical advice for creating a cohesive and high-performing executive environment.
- Be a Bridge Between Finance and Vision
- Foster Empathy and Curiosity Among Executives
- Build Authentic Connections Beyond Business Meetings
- Practice Humility and Learn from Peers
- Develop Patient and Consistent Executive Relationships
- Promote Open Communication Within Leadership Team
- Stay Humble While Pursuing Knowledge Acquisition
- Practice Active Communication with Executive Team
- Establish Reliability to Build Strong Bonds
- Showcase Leadership Methods for Effective Collaboration
- Understand Priorities Beyond the Balance Sheet
Be a Bridge Between Finance and Vision
In my opinion, the best advice I'd give to any aspiring CFO is this: don't be the numbers-only person; be the bridge between finance and vision. Too often, CFOs lock themselves into the role of cost police, which strains relationships with other executives. What I've found effective is approaching conversations with curiosity first, numbers second.
At Amenity Technologies, some of the best strategic moves we've made, like investing early in multi-cloud infrastructure, happened because finance wasn't positioned as a blocker but as a partner. I would sit down with the CTO or COO and frame questions like, "What outcome are you trying to achieve, and how can we structure resources to support that sustainably?" That approach turned finance into an enabler of innovation rather than a constraint.
The surprising part is how much these relationships compound over time. When executives trust that the CFO understands both risk and opportunity, it creates alignment across the leadership table. And alignment is what allows a company to move quickly without breaking things.
So, for aspiring CFOs: build trust not by saying "no" less, but by showing that every "no" comes with an alternative path to "yes." That shift can be the difference between being tolerated in strategy meetings and being truly indispensable.
Foster Empathy and Curiosity Among Executives
One piece of advice I would give to anyone who aspires to be a CFO is to approach the endeavor as an act of empathy and curiosity. It is not merely about putting together strategies to form great relationships with other executives, but rather getting to know the people behind the positions. Some of the best learning is often derived from understanding what your fellow executives think and how they struggle, and I find that often through their personal stories.
When I take the effort to deeply consider what motivates them, be it the issues of a CMO in engaging customers or the concerns of a COO regarding operations, it becomes easier to see ourselves in them. These connections do not just turn out to be professional; they are created on a level of mutual trust and respect. Once you have developed these relationships, you are not just crunching numbers, but contributing towards the culture and vision of the entire company. When you achieve success, it doesn't feel like a company milestone, but a shared victory.
Build Authentic Connections Beyond Business Meetings
I recommend that future CFOs should establish authentic connections with their executive colleagues. A real connection goes beyond scheduled business meetings because it emerges from consistent actions that align with what people say and what their organization stands for. The CFO's authentic approach creates an environment where colleagues feel comfortable enough to share information, which enables the detection of potential problems before they escalate into major crises. The development of authentic relationships between people enables organizations to conduct essential discussions that produce decisions serving the organization as a whole instead of individual departments.
Practice Humility and Learn from Peers
I would tell aspiring CFOs that humility is essential when working with other executives. Even with deep financial expertise, a CFO benefits most from acknowledging what they don't know and actively learning from peers in other disciplines. This open approach enables participants to build trust with each other, which produces authentic teamwork. Executives will make decisions based on financial information when they believe the CFO values their expertise. The company reaches equilibrium through its collaborative relationships, which allow it to address challenges with combined strength and stability.
Develop Patient and Consistent Executive Relationships
Future CFOs need to make patience their number one development priority for establishing executive relationships. Building trust requires time because it cannot be developed quickly, which leads to avoidable tension in relationships. CFOs create authentic relationships through their patient and consistent approach to building connections. The relationships between executives create a base of trust which enables them to support each other through times of uncertainty. Leaders who create strong bonds with their team members develop lasting leadership positions, which lead to decreased executive departures and enhanced organizational achievements.
Promote Open Communication Within Leadership Team
I recommend creating relationships based on open communication. The executive team has the confidence to make powerful choices because they know the CFO will provide them with precise business opportunity and risk evaluations. Leadership transparency helps eliminate political factors, which enables them to work together toward common organizational goals. Leadership teams that maintain open relationships with their employees create an environment that demonstrates their commitment to integrity, thus strengthening the core values that lead to enduring business success.
Stay Humble While Pursuing Knowledge Acquisition
The key to managing executive relationships requires a person to stay humble while actively pursuing new knowledge acquisition. Even as a CFO with specialized expertise, it's important to recognize that leadership is strongest when diverse viewpoints come together. When you establish relationships through collaborative learning activities, your team will develop into an innovative force. The company achieves agility through these robust connections because executives feel secure enough to take strategic risks with each other.
Practice Active Communication with Executive Team
I would advise aspiring CFOs to practice active communication. Financial data complexity causes executives to understand it through the lens of their individual professional experience. CFOs establish connections through basic financial explanations, which help them grasp stakeholder needs while maintaining continuous communication with them. This method prevents misalignment from occurring while keeping executive team members on the same page. Strong communication serves as a tool to unite leaders under a shared vision, which leads to enduring organizational success.
Establish Reliability to Build Strong Bonds
I would advise aspiring CFOs to build relationships through reliability. Executives want to work with business partners who show reliability by delivering dependable results. The CFO's dependable reputation helps create an organizational culture that requires leaders to take responsibility. The solid bonds between team members allow organizations to establish demanding targets because they recognize their leaders operate as a unified, dependable system.
Showcase Leadership Methods for Effective Collaboration
Future CFOs need to start their development by showcasing their leadership methods. The process of understanding individual executive contributions to the organization enables you to identify essential connection points that enhance collaboration effectiveness. The departmental connections within the organization establish a system that makes finance a vital element for achieving the company's complete vision. The outcome establishes a robust organizational culture that enables leaders to create strategies through collaborative work because they maintain professional respect for each other.
Understand Priorities Beyond the Balance Sheet
Here's my advice from years of running Ridgeline Recovery, where financial decisions are directly tied to people's lives and the quality of care we deliver:
If you're an aspiring CFO, stop thinking of finance as just numbers and start thinking of it as relationships. Build trust with other executives by showing them you understand their priorities beyond the balance sheet. When I first opened our center, I had a CFO who only focused on budgets—he never engaged with our clinical team about why certain resources were critical. It created friction and slowed down progress.
When we brought in a new CFO, I gave one piece of advice: "Spend your first month listening." He sat with our counselors to understand why certain programs were non-negotiable, met with operations to see workflow challenges firsthand, and collaborated with marketing to understand the cost of patient acquisition. That changed everything. Suddenly, budget meetings weren't battles—they were strategic sessions where everyone felt understood.
Strong relationships with other executives allow a CFO to see the bigger picture. You're no longer the person saying "we can't afford that"—you're the person helping find ways to make it happen responsibly. In healthcare, especially mental health and addiction treatment, this approach can mean the difference between a program that saves lives and one that never launches due to misalignment.
My advice: invest time in relationships as seriously as you invest in financial planning. When executives trust you, they open up about challenges earlier, collaborate more openly, and rally behind decisions faster. That unity translates into stronger execution, a healthier culture, and ultimately, better outcomes for the business and the people it serves.
