How do CFOs balance discipline with speed?

Tom Steer

Chief Financial Officer · Sokin

Calming filter

Tom Steer says being a calming influence and acting as a filter at the top has been helpful, because it lets him allocate work so team members aren't overwhelmed and efficiency isn't diluted.

Ryan Roccon

Chief Financial Officer · Zapier

Frameworks—with exceptions

Ryan Roccon says he uses consistent financial frameworks and ROI/NPV ranking to stay cash-flow positive, but challenges his organization to show him outsized opportunities where he will break his own rule and lose money on the right thing.

The answer starts at 1:03.

Jessica Somers

Chief Financial Officer · Aledade, Inc.

Nimble discipline

Jessica Somers says to be nimble and responsive to business needs while also bringing structure and discipline, which she says can simplify the work.

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Jack Gordon, MBA

Chief Financial Officer · Harri

Hedge and plan

Jack Gordon says a CFO should hedge against risks as best they can and build contingency plans, describing the CFO as the backstop who manages highs and lows.

Allan Shaw

CFO & CBO · CREATE Medicines

Runway as asset

Allan Shaw says balancing comes down to runway management, calling runway a negotiating asset to protect because more cash means you're not desperate and can run a more thoughtful process.

The answer starts at 40:23.

Patrick Villanova

Chief Financial Officer · Blackline

Guardrails and oversight

Patrick Villanova says CFOs balance financial discipline with the need to move quickly by implementing guardrails and maintaining human oversight to ensure compliance and responsible governance without stifling entrepreneurial spirit.

The answer starts at 10:36.

Aurélien NOLF

VP, FP&A and Investor Relations · Lyft

70/20/10 allocation

Aurélien Nolf uses a capital allocation framework that splits funding 70/20/10: 70% to the core product, 20% to adjacent bets and 10% to moonshots, because the buckets have different risk-adjusted return profiles.

Samantha Greenberg

Chief Financial Officer · AlphaSense

Velocity over perfection

Samantha Greenberg says that as an operator she had to prioritize velocity over perfection, because waiting for everything to be perfect and filtered means missing opportunities when a company is scaling fast.