Beneath the surface of balance sheets and profit margins lies a deeper journey—one that calls a CFO to evolve into a Chief Value Officer (CVO). This path is not simply about managing numbers; it whispers of an inner alchemy, where personal transformation meets the heart of sustainability.
The quest for achieving the SDGs begins not with outward actions, but with an inward reckoning—a journey that beckons leaders to realign with nature, purpose, and self. These seven learnings, drawn from my own encounters and reflections, offer glimpses into the quiet wisdom needed to create value that transcends time, shaping a legacy beyond the visible.
In this blog, I’d like to share some of my deeper insights reflecting a blend of personal experiences, such as my visit to the Himba in the Namib Desert and the Ojibwe Native American Tribe in Michigan’s Hiawatha Forest. These encounters helped me understand that the imbalances we witness in the world, which the SDGs aim to address, mirror humanity’s inner misalignment.
Here are the seven deep learnings I gathered from this reflection, which I believe are crucial for CFOs and business leaders transitioning towards broader societal and environmental value creation.
Learning #1: Separation from Nature and Self (Human Nature)
Humanity’s increasing distance from nature and its inherent intelligence has led to exploitation and dominance over the planet, its resources, and the environment. This mindset has resulted in both ecological degradation and a loss of inner harmony. As leaders, we must strive to reconnect with nature and recognize our role as stewards, not just exploiters, of the Earth.
Learning #2: Fear and Scarcity Mindset
The subconscious fear of not being enough or not having enough fuels the desire to accumulate wealth, status, and security. This scarcity mindset drives short-term thinking and a focus on immediate consumption or profit. Personally, I found myself ‘lost in comparison and keeping up appearances,’ but letting go of these illusions has brought me a sense of freedom and purpose. Shifting away from scarcity and towards abundance is critical for long-term, sustainable value creation.
Learning #3: Consumerism and Early Conditioning as a Measure of Success
Living and working in the US exposed me to a culture where success is often measured by material wealth and social status. This mindset is ingrained early on, even at childhood birthday parties where my children, David and Bernice, were showered with gifts. Consumerism reinforces the belief that happiness comes from possessions, driving short-term gratification over deeper, long-term value creation. Recognizing this has helped me shift my focus from material success to personal growth.
Learning #4: Drive for Visible Success Over Personal Fulfilment
Social comparison leads many of us to seek validation through visible achievements—like the size of our house or car, or the level of exclusivity of our holiday destination—rather than focusing on personal fulfilment. After my departure from Damen Shipyards, I found myself questioning the purpose of my hard work and what it was truly bringing me. This realization prompted a deeper search for meaning beyond traditional definitions of success.
Learning #5: Devaluation of Inner Growth and Emotional Intelligence
External achievements often take precedence over inner growth. Emotional intelligence, empathy, and spiritual reflection are undervalued, leading to leadership models that lack compassion and foresight. I believe we must place greater importance on inner growth to foster leadership that is purpose-driven and empathetic.
Learning #6: Short-Termism in Reward Systems
The emphasis on short-term rewards, such as quarterly profits or executive bonuses, perpetuates behaviours that undermine long-term sustainability. The organisation Reward Value, is doing promising work on modernizing executive pay to align with long-term positive change. Reflecting on my own experiences, it’s clear that leaders must advocate for reward systems that prioritize lasting, meaningful impact over short-term gains.
Learning #7: Leadership Accountability and Long-Term Governance
Governance structures in both corporate and political systems often lack accountability for long-term outcomes. Leaders, including politicians and business executives, are frequently more focused on near-term issues, driven by electoral cycles or quarterly results. However, sustainable change requires us to consider the future impacts of today’s decisions and to hold ourselves accountable for those outcomes.
The CFO’s Inner Work: A Path to Becoming a CVO
Recognizing these inner imbalances is the first step. To truly embody sustainable leadership and drive long-term societal value, CFOs must begin with inner work. Here’s how we can incorporate this into the transformation from CFO to CVO:
1. Self-Reflection
- Clarify Your Personal Purpose: Before leading companies toward sustainable value creation, align your personal purpose with your company’s mission. This requires deep reflection on your values, beliefs, and motivations.
- Engage in Inner Work: Practices like meditation, mindfulness, and journaling can help explore how your personal values align with broader stakeholder value and the SDGs.
- Purpose-Driven Leadership: Leading with a clear sense of purpose creates a ripple effect across the organization, inspiring others to align with this vision.
2. Shift Your Perspective
- From Scarcity to Abundance: Inner work helps leaders move from focusing solely on profit to recognizing opportunities for growth through collaboration and innovation.
- From Material Success to Personal Growth: Embrace continuous learning and adaptability, recognizing that personal growth has no limits.
- Empathy and Compassion: Develop empathy to understand the human and environmental impact of your decisions, shifting your mindset through leadership development programs like HeartWork.
- Collaboration Over Competition: Sustainability requires collaboration across sectors and communities, fostering humility to learn from others.
3. Emotional Intelligence
- Build Self-Awareness and Empathy: These qualities are essential for navigating the complexities of sustainability, inspiring teams, and fostering innovation.
- Emotional Resilience: Practices like mindfulness or physical well-being activities help build emotional resilience, which is critical in managing the stresses of transformative leadership.
- Courage to Challenge the Status Quo: We need the inner strength to confront self, embrace imperfection, and take risks in pursuit of sustainability.
4. Authentic Leadership & Integrity
- Live Your Values: Authentic leadership means embodying your values in everyday actions and decision-making.
- Lead with Integrity: Inner work helps leaders stay true to ethical principles and lead with transparency and inclusivity.
- Set an Example: Walk the talk by promoting values through your personal behavior and leadership choices.
5. Commit to Lifelong Learning and Inner Growth
- No Quick Fixes: Becoming a CVO requires a long-term commitment to continuous learning and personal development through retreats, coaching, or peer learning groups.
- Ongoing Reflection: Regular self-reflection ensures alignment between personal actions, corporate strategies, and the larger purpose.
Final Thoughts
Inner work should not be an afterthought or one-time activity. It is an ongoing process that must begin before making key strategic decisions. Again, from personal experience, once you embark on this journey, there’s no turning back. Without personal transformation, sustainability initiatives risk being superficial or short-lived.
If you would like to watch the recording of the webinar, click here for the link. Passcode: 5v%&w+rd
In my next blog, I will dive deeper into emerging leadership and professional finance best practices to guide CFOs in our transformation to becoming CVOs. Meanwhile, I would love to hear from you—your experiences, struggles, and insights—so we can help each other grow on this transformative journey.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we can create a future where humanity thrives in harmony with the Earth.
Let’s keep the conversation going. Share your stories and ideas with us, and let’s inspire each other to make a difference!
We can offer you support with both the inner and the outer work through the HeartWork Inner Knowing Journey, the Purpose Driven Impact Journey and deep experience with complex business transformations.
Please let us know what you think, we would love to hear from you via sendlove at heartwork dot earth.