What does it take to be a good CFO?

A CFO should be FUTURE TELLER not just a DATA keeper!

To me, "good" has a fairly wide range of possible meanings. "Good" could mean less than great and/or good at the basics of corporate financial management, which frankly may or may not include softer skills including but not limited to leadership, team building and vision.

I'm going to assume you mean "great" and the wide range of skills, attributes, abilities and accomplishments. My station is the next stop, so have to end this here. I look forward to keeping an eye no this discussion.

Of course, if "good" means only somewhat better than acceptable, please advise.

Regards... David

1) A great CFO can flawlessly execute strategy
2) A great CFO is strategic and tactical
3) A great CFO knows how to keep the cash register ringing – a forward looking vision to see disruptive changes to revenue streams – and knows when to invest in the “next big thing” to keep growing profitably

A great CFO knows:

1. The operations;
2. The product;
3. The Customers;
4. The Vendors & Suppliers;
5. All the Employees;
6. The Shareholders.

A great CFO:

Is fearless;
Has thick skin;
Can deliver bad news without placing blame;
Can deliver good news always giving credit where due;
Sees himself/herself as a member of the Team;
Is a Leader.

In short, a great CFO is a business person. All the accounting, financial reporting, forecasting, planning and analysis, is fine through the Controller/VP Finance positions, after that it is all about leading, team building, executing, and vision.

a great CFO must be a " value integrator " of the organization.

A great CFO must be great at achieving organisational goals by supporting the CEO in implementation of his strategy and vision. He should also be a whistle blower flagging off issues in advance. Must have an eye a cash all the time.

I like to think of the role of CFO as the expert in the shadow aspect of business. The visible part is the creation and delivery of products. The shadow aspect is seldom clear, and a good CFO is an architect of this and is the one who must be on top of the shadow transactions behind the visible transactions.
Which company does what deal? Did you sell that item from the US, or Hong Kong?
How does the money flow from consumer to the company account? What is cheapest? Fastest? Most risky?
What happens with all that cash in the treasury?
How is product liability handled?
For whom do the employees legally work?
What entity, and where, is the IP situated....
...and so on.

The CFO is in charge of creating and maintaining the structures necessary for a company to actually transact business.

The CFO needs to be the Chief Future Officer. Proformative's 2015 CFO Dimensions Conference is all about how to be a CFO that defines and delivers the future of his or her company, the Chief Future Officer. https://www.proformative.com/cfo-dimensions.