The most difficult thing about being acknowledged is that you open yourself to scrutiny, writes CFO South Africa MD Graham Fehrsen, three days before the annual highlight on the CFO's calendar - the CFO Awards.
"The scrutiny you open yourself up to often does not come from the person or people that acknowledged you first, but from a wider audience who rarely have access to the same information that lead to the acknowledgement in the first place."
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"I have watched the 2016 CFO Awards process unfold and reached the conclusion that being acknowledged is tough and requires genuine conviction and courage. First CFOs needed to accept the nomination - to open themselves up to a small but carefully selected group of executives for interrogation against a set of predetermined questions."
"In my opinion all those who accepted the nomination should be considered winners but herein lies the rub. Whether they win or not on the night, a wider audience will cast their opinion on the validity of the winners and the comparative professional value of the other nominees. This without having spent much time close to these individuals or knowing their business."
"I believe successful CFOs are courageous but not cavalier. Proud but not vain. If you meet a CFO Awards nominee or award winner you will have met a courageous and proud professional willing to have the world judge their achievements. Without fail they will attribute their success to others and it's this selflessness that makes them great leaders."
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