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This weekend my almost-18-year-old son wanted to see a Rated R movie with a group of friends.
The night before, he got in just fine.
The next day he showed up with a larger group and suddenly the rules became a little more complicated. The theater employee wanted someone over 21 to accompany them.
The kids explained, negotiated, and tried logic. Nothing worked.
Most people would have given up. Not my son.
A short while later, he found a random guy named David. David agreed to help.
The kids got into the movie. Mission accomplished.
As my son proudly told me the story later, I couldn't help but to chuckle. If you know Ryker you are not surprised at all. Where there's a will, there's a way, and that kid has will. People who are determined to accomplish something usually find a path forward.
Oddly enough, that's one of the traits I see in the best CFOs in manufacturing. They Focus on Solutions, Not Obstacles and don’t get in their own way.
I’ll never forget a couple of years ago when we had a manufacturer not pay a bill for 3 months. When I got on a call with him he started it with “don’t you know I’m a CFO of a xxx-million-dollar company”? Neat. How about you manage the business and pay your bills or at least communicate and work with us if you're having issues…. Not this guy.
I've worked with a lot of CFOs over the years. The average ones tell you why it can be done cheaper or they will step out of their lane to tell you against your advice. The exceptional ones figure out how it can and understand spending more now is way cheaper than when the plant goes down later.
That doesn't mean they're reckless. Far from it. They understand risk. They understand cash flow. They understand margins. They also understand the role of finance is not to stop progress. It's to help the organization make smart decisions.
The best CFOs aren't roadblocks. They're problem solvers. They Work Alongside the Plant Manager.
This is probably the biggest difference I see. The strongest manufacturing companies have a CFO and Plant Manager who operate like teammates. Not competitors.
The Plant Manager understands operational risk. The CFO understands financial risk. Both are trying to accomplish the same thing:
Keep production moving. Protect profitability. Support growth.
When those two leaders are aligned, great things happen.
Projects get prioritized correctly. Investments get evaluated properly. Technical debt gets addressed. Business continuity improves. The organization moves forward.
When they aren't aligned? It's painful.
Every investment becomes a battle. Every discussion turns into a negotiation. Every problem gets kicked down the road, and bills don’t get paid. Nobody wins.
They Leave Their Ego at the Door
The best CFOs I've worked with don't need to be the smartest person in the room and don’t hide information from others.
They ask questions. They listen. They seek input from operations, maintenance, IT, engineering, and leadership. They understand that expertise exists throughout the organization. That's especially important in manufacturing.
No CFO knows every machine. No Plant Manager knows every financial implication. No IT leader understands every operational challenge.
The strongest leaders recognize that, and because of that, they make better decisions.
They Understand the Cost of Waiting
One of the biggest mistakes I see is treating every investment as an expense.
The best CFOs understand something different.
Sometimes not investing is actually the most expensive decision. Aging infrastructure. Unsupported systems. Deferred maintenance. Technical debt. Business continuity gaps.
These things don't disappear because they're ignored. They accumulate. Eventually the bill comes due.
The best CFOs know the difference between spending money and protecting the business.
They Think About the Long Game
The best CFOs aren't just focused on this quarter. They're thinking about next year. Three years from now. Five years from now.
They understand that sustainable growth requires planning. That resilience requires investment. That operational continuity doesn't happen by accident. They're willing to have hard conversations today to avoid bigger problems tomorrow.
The Best CFOs Understand Their Real Job
Their job isn't to say "no." Their job isn't to control every dollar. Their job is to help the business make intelligent decisions.
To balance risk and opportunity. To partner with operations. To protect the future of the company.
Just like my son wandering around a movie theater looking for a guy named David, they understand something important: When something matters, people usually find a way.
The best CFOs don't spend their time explaining why something can't happen or why they are important. They spend their time helping the organization figure out how it can.
That's why the best CFOs I've met aren't just finance leaders. They're business leaders.
The manufacturers that have them are usually the ones that outperform everyone else.