CFO Studio Magazine with Bernd-Peter Bier, CFO, Bayer

4th QUARTER 2015 WWW.CFOSTUDIO.COM 27 Howard Reba Finance Operations Group Director Marlin Equity Partners Michael Roth CFO/COO Beefeaters Holding Company Tobey Rumack CFO Universal Marine Medical Supply International, LLC Ed Schultz Partner Highlands Business Group Darrin Shamosh CFO Interport Lisa Strassman Director of Finance, CAO Daikin America, Inc. Ron Tassello CFO Bardwil Industries, Inc. Glenn Turell CFO Elias Arts Holdings, LLC Eric Wukitsch Chief Operating and Financial Officer Vantage Custom Classics, Inc. Discussion Leader Robert Berkowitz CFO Wilmington Paper Corporation Eileen Black Controller Stevens Institute of Technology Walter Cirillo VP & Treasurer Aerogroup International, Inc. Javier Daly CFO TerraCycle, Inc. James Emmerson CFO Huntington Learning Center Fred Guerra Vice President of Finance Takasago International Corporation Robert Guerrera Senior Vice President & CFO Kline & Company, Inc. Carey Heber CFO Advanced Polymer, Inc. Bill Hendry CFO Dancker, Sellew & Douglas Timothy O’Donnell CFO The Falk Group, LLC Takasago International Corporation, a flavor and fragrance company. Talent Development Employers are gearing up for millennials, a generation that is not afraid to move from one job to the next. “My dad worked 40 years in the same place. Our kids will be far different,” said Michael Roth, CFO, Beefeaters Holding Company, a North Bergen, NJ–based manufacturer of dog treats. An effective leader must understand not just the millennial generation, but all those he or she leads. Glenn Turell, CFO of New York City–based Elias Arts Holdings, a music, sound, and audio branding collective, said, “My company is private equity–owned. We have two subsidiaries and two Boards of Directors. But we are a company made up of creative types who don’t necessarily respond to business communications, especially if coming from someone not seen as a creative. The way I communicate with the Boards and senior management has to be very different than the way I communicate with the company’s creatives, especially those who are more junior. In certain cases, I’ll look to our head of operations, who is also the executive creative director, to drive home certain specific business points that I know will not get through to the creative staff if seen as coming directly from me or the Boards.” Some have perfected their leadership skills by being exposed to ineffective leaders. “When I was coming up in the ranks, there were times when I wasn’t treated well by some leaders, and I think that impacted me to be respectful of people. When you’re respectful, you’re going to get more out of people than by pounding a hammer,” said Carey Heber, CFO of Carlstadt, NJ– based Advanced Polymer, a specialty chemical company. Mr. Craig had a similar experience. “I learned what to do by learning what not to do,” he said. “What this is all about is creating a culture within an organization that allows and promotes cream to rise to the top, for lack of a better analogy. You are allowing employees to become leaders. …You are allowing them to blossom,” said Mr. Guerra. Good leaders make the tough decisions that need to be made. “They say, for the greater good, this person needed to go,” said Mr. Tassello. The most successful leaders are authentic, the group agreed, they are self-aware and genuine and mission-driven and focused on results. They lead with their heart, not just their minds, with substance, integrity, and a vision — not just style and image. Some are born, some are made. They establish connected relationships and inspire colleagues. They bring teams together around a shared purpose and a common set of values. They lead by example. C Bill Craig Chief Executive and Financial Officer, Tarantin Industries