How to Build a Strong CEO-CFO Relationship in Your First 90 Days [2025 Guide]
The CEO CFO relationship is one of the most significant partnerships any organization can have. Statistics show that 80% of CFOs report strong connections with their CEOs. The trust runs deep – 98% of CFOs who have “very strong” relationships with their chief executives feel they can bring up tough issues. Building this kind of trust and teamwork takes deliberate effort, particularly in your first 90 days.
New CFOs need to build a quick and reliable partnership with their CEO. When these two key roles work together, financial goals line up naturally with the company’s broader strategy. Companies benefit too – those with strong CEO-CFO relationships show better operational results and stronger balance sheets. Yet many financial leaders get caught up in daily operations and struggle to build these strategic bonds.
This piece offers practical steps to build a strong CEO-CFO partnership in your first 90 days. You’ll learn how to understand your CEO’s leadership style and set up regular communication patterns. These strategies will help you move beyond a basic working relationship to create something truly cooperative and strategic.
Understand the CEO-CFO dynamic from day one
The CEO-CFO dynamic sets the foundation for business success. This relationship might look simple at first glance, but it creates a complex partnership that shapes business outcomes. Research shows that 49% of CFOs say their better relationship with the CEO helped improve business results.
Clarify the roles and expectations
A new CFO’s main task is to make sure financial strategies line up with the CEO’s vision and long-term goals. You need to have clear conversations about where your duties start and end. The CEO sets the company’s mission and guides corporate culture, while you handle financial strategy, compliance, and risk assessment.
Your first few weeks should include strategy meetings to discuss the CEO’s priorities. Bring specific questions that help you understand their vision and show how your finance department can support these goals. After that, look at your department’s plans to make sure they match the CEO’s long-term strategy.
Recognize the evolving nature of the CFO role
The CFO role has changed dramatically. Today, 95% of North American CFOs do more than manage books – they handle cybersecurity, corporate strategy, M&A, ESG, and IT responsibilities. The path from CFO to CEO has become more common too. In 2024, 34% of departing CFOs moved up to president or CEO roles, up from 20% in 2023.
CEOs expect CFOs to spark strategic thinking and coordinate work across departments. You should position yourself as a strategic partner, not just a financial gatekeeper, from day one.
Understand the CEO’s leadership style
The CEO’s leadership approach shapes your working relationship. CEOs and CFOs often think in ways that complement each other:
- CEOs typically: Focus on the big picture, think intuitively and creatively, excel at brainstorming, demonstrate emotional intelligence, and develop strategy
- CFOs typically: Employ analytical thinking, implement strategies logically, improve cash flow, locate and fix problems, and provide balanced reflection
Research shows that 75% of successful partnerships have at least one “driver” personality type. You should use your complementary skills while adapting to your CEO’s communication style and decision-making approach.
Build trust and credibility early
Trust and credibility are the foundations of every successful CEO-CFO partnership. Your success as CFO depends on knowing how to build credibility during the first few months.
Be transparent and consistent
Strong alliances between CEOs and CFOs need transparency and trust. Regular, transparent dialog helps both leaders line up their goals and solve problems before they grow. Clear communication prevents misalignment between investors and your business or between employees and your business.
Your messaging needs consistency with clear measurement systems in place. Phil Shelley, Chairman of docStribute notes, “You need to measure yourself in a consistent way so people understand that you are measuring the progress that you said you would deliver”. Research shows that 54% of younger professionals want their employers to be more transparent.
Deliver on early commitments
New CFOs must prove they understand the business and have a solid grasp of industry trends. The original collaboration with your CEO shapes future interactions. You can showcase your unique value by supporting existing growth efforts and adding value to organization-wide transformation initiatives.
Building credibility starts with finding areas where you can make an immediate effect. A detailed analysis of two years’ bank statements helps spot spending trends, understand budget priorities, and grasp the business’s financial dynamics.
Own mistakes and communicate openly
Mistakes will happen. Don’t make excuses or blame external factors. Joe, a CFO at a private equity-backed company, tried blaming others when missing earnings targets. The Operating Partner found his approach hollow and reminded him that his role included implementing better reporting systems.
Take a moment to understand criticism before responding. Finding common ground, asking open questions, and acknowledging room for improvement builds genuine trust. Your CEO will appreciate this approach, leading to honest conversations about challenges and opportunities during your tenure.
Align on strategic goals and financial vision
A well-laid-out strategy acts as the foundation of any successful CEO CFO relationship. Both leaders need a shared vision. Even strong partnerships can struggle with complex business challenges.
Schedule regular strategy sessions
Regular strategy meetings create the right environment to match financial goals with business objectives. Recent studies show 55% of CFOs now consider long-term planning and resource allocation their top priority, up from 30% in previous years. These meetings help executives understand where their organization needs to go. The core team should create a shared dashboard of key financial and operational metrics to review together. This approach will give a solid foundation for data-driven decisions.
Translate financial data into business insights
Good financial storytelling turns raw numbers into strategic stories. The process needs narrative structure, context, and meaningful visualization. CFOs who know how to learn about financial statements build the foundations of strategic planning. Simple financial stories speed up decision-making. They remove confusion and help stakeholders grasp what the data means and what actions to take.
Support long-term planning with financial foresight
Strategic foresight helps companies spot what’s coming next—from technology innovation to radical alterations in consumer attitudes. We focused on finding game-changers and adding them to forecasting models. Your team can spot subtle changes in customer behavior or revenue streams early by tracking key indicators and trends. This gives you an edge over competitors.
Establish a collaborative working rhythm
A steady rhythm builds strong foundations for ongoing CEO-CFO collaboration. Trust and shared goals come first. Your next move should focus on creating structured interactions that keep both executives in sync.
Set up weekly check-ins
Regular check-ins act as the pulse of the CEO-CFO partnership. These meetings go beyond status updates. They create space to discuss challenges, opportunities, and upcoming milestones. A good check-in delivers three outcomes: clear expectations, visible next steps, and improvement discussions. The right cadence prevents important issues from slipping away, whether through formal meetings or casual talks.
Use shared dashboards and tools
Executive dashboards merge different data sources to monitor performance across the business smoothly. Modern cloud analytics lets users create, explore, and work together on any device. This sharpens your competitive edge through better decision-making. These tools turn raw data into strategic stories that speed up decisions by removing confusion.
Encourage cross-functional alignment
Tomorrow’s finance team works across functions by design. CFOs should build strong bonds with HR, IT, customer support, sales, and operations teams. Joint leadership projects help you and your CEO work closely on major initiatives that need both strategic and financial expertise. This approach creates a space where teams handle disagreements productively and make well-thought-out decisions.
Conclusion
A strong CEO-CFO relationship is crucial for organizational success, especially in your first 90 days. This vital partnership shapes business outcomes with effective management. Knowing how to understand your CEO’s leadership style, set clear expectations, and line up financial strategies with business objectives builds a foundation for lasting success.
Trust is the life-blood of this partnership. You will quickly build credibility by being transparent, delivering on early promises, and owning up to mistakes. Note that better business results come directly from stronger CEO relationships for almost half of all CFOs.
You must become a strategic partner instead of just a financial gatekeeper. This change mirrors the evolving CFO role that now includes cybersecurity, corporate strategy, and ESG responsibilities. Regular check-ins, shared dashboards, and cross-functional teamwork ensure continuous alignment.
Your first 90 days give you a chance to shape your entire tenure. Building this relationship takes focused effort, but the payoff is worth it – you’ll see better operating performance, healthier balance sheets, and smarter decision-making.
Modern CFOs need to balance analytical thinking with strategic vision while complementing their CEO’s leadership style. Your partnership is one of the most powerful dynamics in your organization. It can stimulate growth and tackle challenges together. Start building this foundation today and watch your shared efforts revolutionize your company’s future.
