Horowitz: Show CEOs the math of their plans instead of arguing
Ben Horowitz · a16z Podcast | Cash, Growth, and CEO ❤ CFO · Jan 2, 2019 · at 11:20
Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, explains why CFOs back down against knowledgeable CEOs and why demonstrating operational consequences is key to executive alignment.
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“What happens with most finance people is they back down at that point because they're like, well, fuck, he does know more than I do, even if he's wrong. Whereas going, okay, like, let's just draw out, like, here's all the things you want to do. Like, this is what it means. Like, look at this. That, I totally agree. Like, that's a much more effective way to manage a CEO. Is to show him what he's doing. Is supposed to tell him he's wrong.”
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