“Does this guy know how to party or what?” - Wayne Campbell
The holidays are rapidly approaching, and that means the company holiday party approaches as well. You may have already had yours this year, or you may have been a plus-one, as I was over the weekend. Aside — I contend being the plus-one at the corporate event is a refreshing experience because I am under no pressure at all once people realize I don’t actually work there.
But I digress.
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CFOs have a distinctive perspective on holiday events because they have the dual role of trying to create a festive and inclusive environment for everyone while also being mindful that there is a very real cost to the event that has to be prepared for. To borrow a line from Kapitus’ Anthony Rose:
“The CFO is THE person to hang with at a holiday party; they are fun people AND they determine your budget.”
Indeed, Rose and several other finance chiefs offered insights in reporter Adam Zaki’s story on how to approach holiday get-togethers. The advice Rose, Fresh FP&A’s Chris Ortega, Premier Claims’ Melissa Hurrington, and Brex’s Michael Tannenbaum give are worth paying attention to.
It also causes me to reflect upon what we remember from past holiday events. What memories of these events have you held onto?
For me, I still think back to one of the first parties I attended at our then very start-up media company. We were young, and we were young. And we were crammed into a partitioned section at a nearby bar and grill on a Thursday, because that’s what you do when you don’t have a lot of resources yet. But I remember it well because of what our founders said during a short presentation.
The message was, essentially, “We made it.”
Now, no company’s future is guaranteed, but in that moment, with that group of people, we had transformed from a plucky bunch to a group of people with a clear mindset and vision about how to succeed. Nobody had heard of us yet, but we knew that would soon change.
It makes me wonder what some of the CFOs we have gotten to know over the years might say to their teams and organizations.
What words of inspiration would MSH’s Landon Cortenbach say to his team because he always has words of inspiration to share?
Who would the CFO Leadership Council’s Jack McCullough publicly recognize because he always uses his speaking platform to elevate others?
What awesome “dad joke” would KBD’s Bona Allen be sharing with his friends? (Probably the one about the angry snowman having a meltdown.)
Holiday events aren’t just about getting together to celebrate success (or survival). Leaders “lead” in big ways and small, from the organization at large to the one individual who might need words of encouragement and affirmation.
What I’ve learned, and what I would implore, is: Don’t waste the opportunity.
Party on, Wayne.
Party on, Garth.