Lessons in Leadership and Career Longevity With Leslie Griffith

Speaker A: Welcome to the Level up podcast where finance leaders share real stories, insights and connections that move them forward. Tune in to learn, sharpen your edge and level up together.

Speaker B: Hi everyone. Nick Arako here, host of, um, Level up. And I am founder and CEO of CFO Alliance. I'm so pleased to be here. Okay, this is not just another boring business podcast. You know me, I don't do that. Level up is where the most forward thinking leaders in business and finance and from the CFO alliance community and beyond come to share what it's really like to lead in today's, I guess I'll call it, unpredictable world. That's an understatement. I think each episode I get the opportunity, privilege and blessing to sit down with CFOs, finance executives, and business and industry leaders who are redefining what leadership really looks like by stepping up, leaning in and leveling up. These are not theory driven interviews. They're raw, they're real, and they're packed with insights you can really use, bring back with you and, uh, apply to what you're doing each day. Past guests have included what I call power players. People like Andrew Platt, Albert Ramos Jr. Phoebe Bishop, Justin Norton, visionaries, people who see things that wow, I can only hope to see people like Chad Blackburn, Aaron Wilkins, uh, my dear friend Tracy Williams. So if you're a finance, business and industry leader navigating change, challenge or opportunity, this is your podcast. So take a listen. So take today, I'm joined by Leslie Griffith. Leslie Griffith spent nearly two decades climbing the ranks at, uh, Chickasaw Nation Industries before landing the CFO chair. Proof that sometimes the best path up is straight through. Okay, tune in to hear how a Deloitte audit kid. That's right, a Deloitte audit kid became the finance chief. You like that play? This will be fun, I promise you. Okay, so I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that LevelUp is proudly brought to you by Oracle Netsuite. The number one Cloud ERP trusted by thousands of high growth finance led companies around the world. NetSuite gives CFOs and finance leaders real time visibility, automation and control across their financials, operations and planning so they can lead with confidence and scale with speed. Oracle NetSuite is also a proud and longtime global partner to CFO alliance, supporting our shared mission of empowering finance leaders to drive strategy, build resilient teams and deliver next level impact. More than 1500 of our, uh, CFO alliance members run their organizations on NetSuite. So if you're Serious about building a modern finance function that keeps pace with your business today. In this ever changing world and environment, NetSuite is your platform. Learn more at netsuite.com all right, so now let's dive in. As you know, listeners, I get the opportunity to meet some very fascinating finance leaders who are part of this community. So Level up, fam. Buckle up for this one. My guest today did not jump from company to company chasing titles. Okay, I'm going to start there because I've had a lot of really interesting people, and she is interesting as well. Uh, she did something more impressive. Okay. Shiva leveled up from the inside. Okay. One promotion at a time for almost two decades at the same organization. But not an organization that didn't change. An organization that changed a lot. I want you to meet Leslie Griffith, CFO of Chickasaw Nation Industries. Leslie's story starts where a lot of great finance careers do in the trenches and of audit at Deloitte and Touche, counting beans and learning the fundamentals the hard way. From there, she made her way to Chickasaw Nation industries back in 2007. Uh, in financial reporting, right. Instead of looking for the next thing somewhere else, she just kept climbing right where she was corporate controller, then VP of corporate finance, and finally into the big chair cfo. And this is where that's not a lucky break. That's like 19 years of proving it, promotion after promotion. She's a CPA and Oklahoma State grad and living proof that the fastest way up isn't always the flashiest. Sometimes it's just putting in the work year after year until the organization, hey, has no choice but to say, this is the person we hand the keys to. So if you're wondering what it actually looks like to grow into a CFO seat from the ground floor instead of parachuting in from the outside, you're going to love this conversation. Let's get into it. Leslie, welcome to Level Up.

Speaker C: Thank you so much, Nick, for inviting me and allowing me to be part of Level Up. I'm excited to visit with you over this next few minutes and let you pick my brain, and we'll see what may or, uh, may not come out.

Speaker B: Well, I mean, did I get the story right? Is my first, because, you know, that's

Speaker C: a really good rendition of the story. Actually, you know, for all intents and purposes, it really is. You know, especially, you know, certainly not having talked to you or coached you or any of those things. Great job.

Speaker B: All right, thank you. And I do pride myself on trying to dig into the background on my own and just try to interpret it. So I'm glad I was somewhat accurate. But I really love interviewing and spending time with my guests and m members of our community to really get the story told firsthand by you individually. So let's go back in time, Leslie. Let's think about the catalyst for you getting into this career path to begin with. What's the trigger moment, the earliest moment in time where you were like, I think I may like this, I think I might like this career path. Something had to really turn your attention towards accounting and finance to begin with.

Speaker C: What was that for me? I am a first generation college grad in my family and so therefore when I was trying to figure out how to go to college and how I was going to pay for it and what I was going to do, I being pragmatic and somewhat stereotypical of an accountant, as I've learned, you know, the, the idea of, uh, okay, what career can I go into, that I can always have a job, I'll make a solid living, those types of things. And so I was like, let's try accounting. I will tell you first and foremost, I am really bad at math.

Speaker B: Actually, you know, maybe that's something our listeners need to hear.

Speaker C: I'm really bad at math. And so while I have great friends who are also in the field who started as math majors and converted, that was not me at all. And um, my argument is accounting is not math and especially not now in our society with technology the way it is. And I will tell you, my math has done nothing but plummet the more technology does for me. But I still have to know fundamentally what I'm trying to get to and the ability to create the formula. But I don't have to be good at math and I'm not today don't look good enough. So I know at the time, Oklahoma State, which I am a proud OSU cowboy, they had an excellent accounting school. And I thought this seems like a win win for me. And so that's when it started. And I had some great classes that uh, kind of intrigued me and enlightened me. But I was pushing through. I was on a tight timeline, scholarship wise for my four years. So four and done was all I had at the time. But then when I took the job with Deloitte, you know, in public accounting was of course what I wanted to do. Because that's what you did, right? Yeah, uh, that's still important. I tell young, you know, accounting professionals, students who are going into this field, you know, if you have an opportunity to go public. Do you know if you look on job boards today for even C Suite, they like you to have public experience.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And the reality is they don't care if it was five minutes of public experience. Basically they want you to have some requisite public experience. That is where I fell in love with accounting.

Speaker B: What is it about that experience, even today for you and today? Draw. Draw that still shared experience that you still have such an affinity for, still such high regard for, and still such faith that it brings so much out that's so highly applicable towards what has become foundational for your career. What is it so that's so compelling?

Speaker C: Well, for me it was the idea of seeing a lot of different industries.

Speaker A: Mhm.

Speaker C: It was the ability to learn to read and interpret a financial statement in a different way.

Speaker B: Mhm.

Speaker C: And you met so many people, different walks of life, different personalities, different views on you as an auditor coming in. And so I think from that perspective, especially if you aspire to be in management or leadership of any kind, that's really critical and those are very critical skills. And you just begin to look at things a little bit differently than anything you ever learned in college, for example. And I have strong beliefs that, that a lot of universities have, uh, doing a better job about really readying people for the actual workforce and what you're going to experience there, you know. But again that was over 30 years ago. And so the ability to really kind of learn how to navigate, you know, dealing with different clients, different businesses, you know, personalities, and getting exposure to really kind of understanding how to look at a financial statement. That, that was where I fell in love with that. And I've often said, hey, in, in my next career I could totally self see myself being an auditor again.

Speaker B: It would um, come full circle. That's amazing. You know, it's, it's, it's so interesting. It, it, it, you're, it's almost like you can spot someone who did that stint in public accounting as somebody who did as well. The way you lean in, the way that you spot and adapt to people's thinking and communication styles, the way that you recognize that you have to build relationships in order to do what you need to do in that capacity. It is a. But for to be able to conduct the work that you need to do, that you have to be able to interact with people. Yeah, right.

Speaker C: I will tell you that I could uh, I can point to segments in my journey and in my career where I laid aside the relationship building. Uh, probably not intentionally, but because that is, you know, I am, um, one of those people who. It is like, okay, here's. Here's what we've got to get done. Let's just get in. Let's get it done. You know, everybody else has other things to do. And so it took an executive coach, I don't know, about eight or 10 years ago to kind of remind me, hey, wait a minute, you're missing something here that will help you level up to the C suite. And it is that you are not intentionally taking the time to build those relationships. People trust you. They believe you have the utmost integrity and ethical behavior, but they don't know you. And so it was a kind of a reset for me going, oh, okay, you're right. And kind of going back to that original. The original roots and reminding myself, even after Deloitte, when I moved to the Oklahoma City Community foundation, very lovely public charity, which I still adore. You know, I spent over a decade there and learned a tremendous amount about relationship, relating to people and how people act. I had an incredible boss there who I still just admire tremendously. I have been very.

Speaker B: What was it you admired about that boss? I mean, what was it that you took with you?

Speaker C: Well, you know, I. I like smart people, number one.

Speaker B: Uh, right.

Speaker C: So they. They always intrigue me. I like smart people, but I really loved the grace and the ability, just the poise in dealing with a variety of situations. But yet people look to her for the financial investment, endowment answers.

Speaker B: Do you. Do you. Do you think she was ahead of her time in terms of the look to her. Was that look to her horizontal, too? It wasn't just a vertical look. It was people across and throughout the enterprise looking to her.

Speaker C: Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, she was a cornerstone. But not only that, but even just watching her interact with board members, investment committee members, those. And just the respect that she garnered, uh, you know, she was not a steamroller. She was not a. But just her poise and grace was just something I really admired. One of the things about my career which has been, I think, fairly unique is in my career, I have had very few male bosses.

Speaker B: Wow. Okay. I know. I'm not sure a lot of. A lot of people who've made it to the CFOC can say that. You're right. That's interesting.

Speaker C: And, I mean, I've had some great ones, don't get me wrong. But, you know, the two most impactful. One was at the Community foundation, and it was Carla Pickerel. And then, uh, the other one was Rhonda Sutton. Who. She retired as my peer a year ago in January.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: And so she. She actually hired me at cni. And I also just, you know, you tend to admire qualities and others that you don't possess yourself.

Speaker B: That's right. That's the best. That is the best opportunity as well. Right. Yeah.

Speaker C: So you. You want to learn how to. How they do it and emulate, you know, those types of things. So that's kind of a unique thing, I believe, in my career is that I haven't really worked directly for a lot of men, uh, over my career.

Speaker B: What. What did she have that complemented you so well? What is it that she. That she brought that you were like, wow, this is, like, great, like, to put next to me or around me.

Speaker C: She had not, uh, only the relational side down pat. Yeah, you know, very, very much so. But she also had a much broader business savvy in sense that I have worked to develop. You know, one of the things I can say, even though I am towards the end of my career, you know, in at least doing this, you know, I learn every single day. Every single day. And I like to learn.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And I recognize.

Speaker B: I don't think you'd be doing this if you still didn't like to learn. Let's be frank. Right. Yeah.

Speaker C: But, uh, but I think as a cfo, one of the things that I'm seeing a big shift in, at least the way I view it, is I don't think you have to be the traditional accountant. Cpa. That's not going to be the CFO of tomorrow.

Speaker B: Agreed.

Speaker C: And so it's my, uh, ability to look across kind of the landscape of CNI and really start talking to certain people about, you know, and I. I have. I've approached somebody and I've said, hey, would you be interested in potentially, you know, vying for this seat when I vacated?

Speaker B: And they're.

Speaker C: They're like, well, I. I don't have an accounting degree. I don't. I'm not a cpa. I'm like, okay, but if you have a really strong VP who is fundamentally based in that camp, you know, if you've got the finance and the business savvy and the tech and the strategy and the view, that's what we need.

Speaker B: Yeah. You know, it's so interesting that you're embracing that, and that is what I believe so many people need to hear, is that today's seated CFO is embracing the developments and the changes in the metamorphosis of the role. We're not holding it back. We're inviting its continued development people like yourselves who've helped define that seat are um, now further transforming it to increase its agility and decision impact and also continuing to make sure that as businesses and industries transform, that finance has the opportunity to continue to have its greatest opportunity to, to, to really, truly accelerate the growth and performance of the businesses it's lead and serve. With the CFO seat truly being that, that most impactful spot, I can't sit

Speaker C: here and report on the backward looking results. The fundamentals are critical. You know, understanding gaap, being able to do the financials, being able to speak that language, all of that is a critical piece. However, you can have a partner who can come along and fill that piece for you as long as you're willing to put in the work from a business perspective to look at it like a business owner.

Speaker B: Yeah. Where do you think finance leaders and CFOs are underestimating the disruptions that have come our way right now? I mean, we have so many things coming at us, Tech, AI, capital markets, talent, let alone all of the issues in the regulatory and geopolitical environments. We have all this other stuff coming at us. Where do you think we may be underestimating some of the challenges coming at us?

Speaker C: I can really speak primarily for cni and that is related to just the strategic view of AI and the governance of that.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: You know, there, there is a new tool, a new tech each and every day and everybody wants to use everything,

Speaker B: which by the way is exciting on one hand. But as the CFO who finance people like us see the risk and opportunity side of the equation on everything.

Speaker C: Mhm.

Speaker B: So keep going.

Speaker C: I really believe that it's very challenging to kind of wrangle in the group and say, okay, we need to have some fundamental decisions about governance regarding AI because we're creating tech debt.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Every day.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker C: I love that. Um, I had read recently and the question what we should be asking is what's it going to cost us to change?

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: You know, for anyone who's been in for longer than three years, you know what rebuild costs.

Speaker B: Uh, yeah.

Speaker C: You know what throwing the baby out with the bathwater costs us as an enterprise. And I truly believe that those companies who take the minute, take the beat, take the pause and really think about the architecture and the governance and the strategy for AI itself will gain a competitive advantage. Yeah, they will look like they lag in the initial, you know, maybe eight up to 18 months.

Speaker B: Yeah, they may look like that in the headline in the first sentence, but in the long run. It's not even a long run. In a normal run.

Speaker C: Yeah. They will have competitive advantage as a result of that.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: I think reality is they will be more agile in decision making and in pivoting. They will also understand their data structure better and that architecture better. So that regardless of what tool you want to lay over it, the tools will come and go. There will always be the next best, uh, thing. And I think that that is where we're missing it a little bit.

Speaker B: So what do you think is the greatest challenge with that approach? Because you're not alone with that strategy, but it meets with such resistance. What's the, what's, what's push? What, where's that resistance coming from?

Speaker C: Well, I think the resistance is coming from the fact that you see those short term gains. It's, it's almost like if you wanted to play the market.

Speaker B: Yeah, right, right.

Speaker C: Well, I mean, and that's fine. And people do that and they do very well. Yeah. Uh, but, uh, is that what your core business is? Is that really how you should be doing it? And it's the fact that we don't have enough data today to make informed decisions about not only what it's giving us as a competitive advantage, as an asset that either generates revenue or reduces costs. We don't have the good data to prove it out. Going, okay, here's what this is. This is what this really is doing for us. That is something that we've struggled with at CNI and before we even started dipping our toes into the whole AI adventure. And that was what really is our internal rate of return on some of these tech bets.

Speaker B: That's right. That's right.

Speaker C: Infrastructure. I'm not talking about forward facing to the clients and customers.

Speaker B: You're not even talking what we're delivering to the customer. You're talking about our own infrastructure.

Speaker C: Right. And that's another thing. I think we have a disconnect, especially depending on the type of market you're in and what you're doing. And that is that what we're doing for the customer and what we're able to sell, especially as a kind of professional services business, we are not then utilizing for ourselves. There's a big disconnect in the forward facing operators and developers and BD and salespeople who are doing that back to our back office team. And so we're trying right now to help kind of reorganize in a way that we can kind of combine the two and what that looks like. We don't for sure. Know yet. So we're trying to kind of figure that out because we're not leveraging our own talent and our own things that we're selling out there internally, which may actually provide better returns for us.

Speaker B: You know, it's interesting, I was talking to a small group of our members, uh, uh, about all of this, which is I feel like we talk about constantly. And we started talking about attitude and mindset, and we started talking about the term overreaction and extreme. And we started saying it feels like we're living in, um, a mindset of reacting too quick, overreaction and markets and people reacting too quickly and not letting anything breathe.

Speaker C: Agreed. And. And that is very challenging.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Because you breathe too long and you miss it all together.

Speaker B: Yeah. Yes.

Speaker C: And so there's, uh, a. There is some market timing there that is very nuanced.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And then like you said, if you overlay some of the geopolitical and the regulatory things, especially given the last two years and just the huge switchbacks we've seen.

Speaker B: Yeah. Uh, swings.

Speaker C: It's a big challenge to make decisions. And one of the things that I've been working on and trying to help my board better understand is what is the acceptable risk of loss? What is the piece of the portfolio that we can basically take those bigger bets on. But it's a very small piece of the pie knowing we may make the wrong decision, but we don't want to sit too long without making any decision.

Speaker B: Leslie, how have you effectively sought and one alignment in this type of environment in this day and age around decision making? Because it's very difficult. The CFO role and the opportunity and responsibilities have increased in terms of scope and role and influence and decision making. And at the same time, it's become increasingly difficult to map towards and win stakeholder alignment in this environment as well. And we've seen cfo, uh, you've had great tenure in your respective organization, but we've seen CFO tenure drop dramatically less than three plus years in the respective role. And a lot of that's due to lack of alignment. How do you. What's your tactic on alignment? Knowing you've got a lot of key stakeholders as well. Think about that term stakeholder. Right.

Speaker C: You know, and I think you. You make a valid point which I don't have real, uh, experience with, and that is building the level of trust that you need to have to go ahead and, you know, kind of. That old kind of.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Disagree, but commit. Philosophy of Bezos. The concept of that if you're only in the seat for a very short period of time. That's a real challenge.

Speaker B: It is.

Speaker C: That's a real challenge. And I think part of it would depend on how you got into the seat, what the rationale was for why they hired you, and are you staying true to that and recognizing then. I believe this is very valid as well. When you and your CEO cannot get to that alignment, then you're not the best CFO at that time.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And so you have to move on. And so we have experienced. We've had a pretty significant shift in our executive team due to retirements. And so our COO became our CEO about 18 months ago. But luckily, you know, he came to us through an acquisition in, I think, 2012. So I had a lot of experience working with him as first an LLC manager, then him moving on up through the ranks. So a lot of experience working with him and developing that trust relationship. But again, I can't answer how you develop that in such a short season when you have a very short tenure of those kind of things, you know, because you can't. That's. That's not something you can say, well, they trusted me at my last job.

Speaker B: Yeah, you're right.

Speaker C: It doesn't work that way. It's very, uh, relational. And I think part of it is how strongly are you willing to stand on your convictions and what you know and believe to be true and. And how willing are you to admit you could be wrong?

Speaker B: Yeah, well, let's talk about that. So, uh, we're not. We can't seek perfection. That's the enemy of good. Clearly, we've all made mistakes throughout our careers, especially if they're bold moves. Talk to me about a time when you got something wrong and what did you learn from it? What can we. What can we steal from that?

Speaker C: So CNI has been such a proving ground because of all the variety of things I've been exposed to.

Speaker B: I was going to say, I mean, you have a whole ecosystem of things that you've been exposed to, from acquiring

Speaker C: companies to divesting of companies, to, uh, very interesting ways on tax and tax strategy. I mean, just some very interesting things. And, you know, I feel like I'm pretty vocal about. Yeah, I don't know. I don't have experience here. Let's go figure out who does, and let's try to, you know, cobble together something and figure it out. I'd also try really hard not to get too far enamored and buried with what was true yesterday. And this is how it worked before yeah, yeah.

Speaker B: Um, that's so dangerous.

Speaker C: One of the customers things about our finance team is our tenure.

Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker C: I could see it's hard to reinvent yourself when you've. You've slogged through the highs and lows for decades. Right. I mean, it's. It's hard to have a fresh take on how we might do something.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: But I will tell you that. And we had an issue with some minority owners. M. And we bought them out. But the buyout, the way it was structured, uh, we had to do some valuation and some things like that. And, you know, it was a very nuanced. Project. And in hindsight, I should have handled a couple of things differently with our. And independent valuation experts.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: But, you know, and we, we mulled it over. We talked about it as an executive team. We were trying, you know, and, and basically I was not willing to take the risk.

Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, usually I did.

Speaker C: I chose to take the very conservative viewpoint, and I think it cost us more money.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: Uh, materially more money for us.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And I would do it different the next time. I may be wrong the next time.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: But I think I have learned that, you know, it's hard sometimes to assess a risk when you're. You don't feel like you have enough of the information or qualifications in order to make that assessment. And so, because I am so risk averse, as a general rule, that at that point in time, had a different CFO been in the seat.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: I think the outcome, we could have saved ourselves some money.

Speaker B: So with that in mind, when you're thinking about the next cfo, what's one capability you think that next CFO is going to need that most don't have today, Or maybe one they're going to need more of in terms of a capability or stronger. One capability.

Speaker C: I really feel like the CFOs, uh, need a much stronger capability in kind of understanding, truly, basically, the business development side of the house.

Speaker B: Oh, okay. You're the first to say that. That clearly. That's really interesting.

Speaker C: I feel like that is missing.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: You know, um, I would say most people who are kind of what I consider more stereotypical accountants, you know, we shy away from sales in a lot of ways.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: I understand that if you grew up in public, you've got to have a sales side because, you know, if you're ever going to be prisoner, you got to, you got to sell to some clients. Right. You know, I get it that in your position, you got to, you got to know how to sell A little bit. But, uh, in a corporation, lots of times we're very insulated from that on purpose. They don't want the bean counters out there trying to know how we, you know, sell. Right.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And I think we miss perspectives. Not in the ability to close deals in that way from a sales piece, but really understanding what it takes to do that and developing that appreciation for that, you know, because I'm looking on the back end going, uh, really? We, you know, we have given away the farm here. You know, what. What are we doing? And I think, you know, I. But I recognize that I have to trust them to know I don't know the whole story. So this is one.

Speaker B: The next one knew the whole story. You feel like it would be potentially a different.

Speaker C: I will. I feel like it would allow me and my team to better advise how we could have a better outcome potentially. Ah, not in all cases, but in some cases, but, uh, I don't know that side of it very much.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And So I think CFOs of tomorrow have to position themselves better as if they were the CEO.

Speaker B: Very interesting. Very interesting. So when you think about your career path and you sunset from this role, what are you thinking for you? I'm always curious when I talk to my. My guests about, you know, what's. What they do next, what's. Not that I'm trying to exit you from your role, but I always wonder, you know, what are you thinking?

Speaker C: Well, you know, I think kind of the pat answer would be, you know, I. I'm open to consulting gigs. You know, generally, you know, people have asked me here and there.

Speaker B: I mean, you have so much to apply because you've seen. Done so much there at cni. I mean, there's like acquisition, divestiture. You know, every. You consider everything you've done. It's like, there is not a lot you haven't seen or done.

Speaker C: I mean, and I will tell you, the biggest hole in my resume is I do not have public company experience.

Speaker B: Right.

Speaker C: Yeah, that's a big hole in my resume. And so, um, you know, when I am serving on various boards, you know, you know, nonprofit boards and the like, you know, it's kind of like looking at, okay, where can I really add value? Well, you know, they always want to put me on audit or finance. That's fine. They need those people. I get that. It's an investment. I get it. It's not a problem. Happy to do it, you know, uh, but there's not a lot. There's. There's not a lot. That's very sexy on those things. You know, you kind of just do your job and. But what I would also say is, you know, completely on the flip side. You know, I have toyed around with the idea of, you know, writing a book.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: And it would not be a tech book. Let's just put it that way. It would not be, you know, accounting theory 101. No. Not even a little bit. So.

Speaker B: So would it be fiction or nonfiction?

Speaker C: You know, probably. Probably nonfiction. Uh, probably. I think, you know, we'll see. Who knows?

Speaker B: I like it. I think you've got a lot of stories to tell. I go back to it. I'm like, it's a. Because it's been a journey, and it continues. It's journey that still has chapters to write, too. There's still some more to go there, too. You know, when you think about the greatest success you've had in grooming people, too, grooming talent on your team, what are you most proud of?

Speaker C: I think I would say, for me, it is when I am able to really connect with somebody who is very different than me and we can bounce off of one another in a way that I help coach to how they can improve to the next level.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: It is rarely, you know, hey, come and sit with me and let me show you how to reconcile something. Right. That's not really where.

Speaker B: There's very few CFOs that operate that way, I will tell you.

Speaker C: And. And I think it is one of, um, one of the things that having people really play upon the strengths that they bring, not trying to emulate something they like in me would, you know, I get told a lot. I'm very fast.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: Uh, I'm very quick. You know, like, I can look at. I can look at a report, I can look at a slide deck, I can look at whatever, and then I can ask these questions. Right. You know, and they're. And they. They've likened me sometimes with. I, like, I come in the room and I'm like spraying fire like a machine gun. Right. Because I'm just. I have that ability. I'm not asking you to create that ability in yourself.

Speaker B: Yeah. Right.

Speaker C: You know, that doesn't make you successful, you know, because there are times where I can steamroll and miss the whole relational side. Right. So that's not always a good thing. So it's really trying to figure out, okay, what are you really good at? Uh, where you really bring that to the table. Giving them experiences to kind of have them dip their toe into some things. We know that to be successful and continue to move up in the organization, you have to be able to talk to other people. You have to be able to convey the financial results succinctly and in a way others can understand it.

Speaker B: That's the key piece. I feel like that that is lost and is learned the hard way. Because I think that when we were educated, we were educated in one language, the language of the numbers. And then we got out there and we were like, the majority of the world doesn't speak our language. We have to translate that in the language they understand. Now what I've learned in the last year is that with advancements in technology like AI, it now translates it for them. What I have to make sure is that the information and data they're getting is the data and information is accurate.

Speaker C: And.

Speaker B: And we're all getting the same data and information. Not shadow finance happening also too.

Speaker C: Correct? Absolutely. And I think that is a challenge, but I think you can use AI, uh, use the technology to say, show me a different way to present this to this kind of people. Okay. And then you kind of modify to resonate with them differently.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker C: You know, I also think it's important not to make assumptions about what people know and don't know.

Speaker B: I want to throw a question at you that one of the members threw, uh, to me that I also threw out in the webinar, I think, two days ago, which was, how important do you think it is for today's and tomorrow's CFO to be a natural conversationalist?

Speaker C: Based on my experience, it is critical.

Speaker B: Why do you say that?

Speaker C: Um, we have to be social. And I think that is the way that you not only build trust.

Speaker B: Mhm.

Speaker C: But it also is a way that, especially at the CFO level, that stakeholders go, okay, she gets the business, understands the business. Right. So. So that garners trust as well.

Speaker B: I love it.

Speaker C: So I think, I think you have to be.

Speaker B: Yeah. I also think we learned that when we did our stints in public too.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Interviewing, you know, just the simple techniques, you know. And you, you pretty well. If you think back, you pretty well knew, you know, those staff accountants who were going to make it and who basically needed to go be hidden in

Speaker B: a corner or they remove them to tax.

Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. Yes. Isn't that funny? And I hate that, but yes. Isn't that so true? Right. That's one thing I'm very clear about. Like, I don't do taxes. Don't. Yeah.

Speaker B: So as we move towards the end of this, what's what do most m. People not know about you? Any quirks, habits, rituals, hobbies, interests that you'd like to share?

Speaker C: Well, that's very personal.

Speaker B: Or I could ask it another way. What's the most wildest or, huh, most unexpected thing you've done outside of work?

Speaker C: Well, I, you know, I can tell

Speaker B: you listeners, that was a very long pause. She either has a long list of litany of things and she's trying to pick the safest one.

Speaker C: I have, you know, even though I born and raised and continue to live in the saints not so small town any longer in Oklahoma, I've not. I've never lived very far from here other than when I my little journey up to Stillwater, Oklahoma, America for college. You know, so in all, you know, I'm not well traveled. I'm not, you know, haven't had a lot of those different diverse experiences. But, you know, I had quite an adventure and I have a very beautiful life. And the. Probably the biggest adventure that I have embarked on is I got married less than a year ago.

Speaker B: Wow. So there you go. Congratulations, by the way.

Speaker C: Um, uh, thank you. I am. My first husband died in 2021 after. And we. We had been together since I was 16.

Speaker B: Wow.

Speaker C: So. And we've been married almost 30 years. Wow. And you know, I was just. I. I had to be a. I was never getting married again.

Speaker B: Wow. And that. Never, never, never say never.

Speaker C: Yeah. And so my tagline is, you know, I plan and God laughs and there you go. So here we are. And so you are.

Speaker B: Congratulations.

Speaker C: Thank you. And it is an adventure I never saw coming.

Speaker B: There you go. You never saw it coming. And then I love it. That is not what I thought you were going to say, but congratulations. That is joyful. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you for sharing that too. So Leslie, what You have a lot more chapters to write and you are going to write a book and I'm going to hold you accountable to it now.

Speaker C: Oh, uh, great.

Speaker B: Okay. So listeners, we're going to hold Leslie accountable to that. So my next. We meet quarterly, Leslie and I. So by next quarter, I'm going to say how far into the book. No, I'm not going to hold. You say how far do you have the concept down? Is what I'm going to hold you accountable to. Oklie. Uh, and then with AI now you can go from concept to framework. So I'm going to ask for this framework. Okay. By next quarter. So Leslie, if people want to connect with you, what's the best way for people to Connect with you.

Speaker C: It is, you know, through LinkedIn or through my email address.

Speaker B: Okay.

Speaker C: Which is leslie.griffithickasaw.com.

Speaker B: all right, so. And what would get your attention if somebody reached out to you?

Speaker C: Don't offer to sell me something.

Speaker B: Use where the, the delete button goes.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker C: Ah, so how about you wish her

Speaker B: well and congratulations, uh, on her, on her marriage. There you go. That, that would attention.

Speaker C: There we go. There we go.

Speaker B: I love it. Leslie, it's been an absolute pleasure. This is why we do the Level up series, to hear what is really happening in the CFO role, how people like you are making their next plays. I, um, love the fact that you are continuing to invest in defining what leadership is like in yourself. I mean, it's real and that's the cool part. And, um, I get the pleasure to learn day to day from CFOs who are living it from you. So thank you for sharing some of it, just some of the story with us today. I feel like it flew by. Um, so, uh, I promise me you'll continue to share more in this community. Make me that promise.

Speaker C: And thank you again so much, Nick, for just the invitation and, you know, again, very excited to be part of the CFO alliance and the good work that you're doing and continuing to improve, engage and develop, you know, basically connection.

Speaker B: Yeah, well, that's what it's all about and it's great to have you be a part of it and it's. And great that you shared it today. Listeners, if you loved what you heard today and you are inspired by people like Leslie and you want to be a part of this community, you know where to reach us@cfoalliance.com if you have recommendations for guests who want you believe will inspire us like Leslie, then do not hesitate to reach out to us. This is why we do this Level up series. Um, if you liked this episode, Please subscribe to LevelUp. Stay tuned for more. I thank our friends at Oracle NetSuite for sponsoring this series. They are the number one AI Cloud ERP trusted by over 43,000 businesses. You can reach them at netsuite.com CFOAlliance if you, um, have any suggestions on any ways we can continue to enhance this show, reach out to me. In the meantime, please stay well, stay safe, stay connected, and continue to level up in your business, in your world, in your seat, and most importantly, in your life. Thank you, listeners and thank you again, Leslie.

Speaker C: Thank you.

Speaker A: Thank you for tuning in to the Level up podcast. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. More stories, insights and connections to help you level up.