Recently I read Brene Brown’s book “Dare to Lead” and she referenced a discussion with her company CFO, and the importance of “financial stability.” This resonated with me, and I believe financial stability is a value that I have carried personally and professionally, my entire life. When Brene discussed the topic, she articulated it so well that I thought, “this is me!”
“Another example of how value sharing strengthened a relationship was with my friend Chaz. To be honest, we’ve known each other for so long, I wasn’t sure that any more connecting was possible. But when he left his job as CF0 at a very successful ad agency to come work with me, there were some difficult shifts. During our values exercise, I learned that one of his values is financial stability. Now, you’re probably thinking, That makes sense—he’s your CFO and one of your closest confidants. But honestly, I had no idea. And when I wanted to take big risks or make large investments in new businesses, I made up the story that he was pushing back and asking a million questions because he didn’t trust me, or because he thought his job was to talk me out of stuff. When I learned that it was his value—not just his job—I wanted to cry. In that moment it became one of my favorite things about him. I trust him so much I could cry just writing about this. We don’t fully see people until we know their values.”
Brene Brown, book “Dare to Lead”
I now realize that financial stability is clearly a VALUE of mine that runs to my core. This is not just a “nice to have,” but rather is a key part of the fabric of who I am as a person and professional.
Growing up, in a household with 8 siblings, we all learned early on the importance of hard work to achieve goals. We all earned whatever spending money we had, and while our core needs were met, family vacations and trips were not part of the family routine. We all grew up fiercely independent, and I have argued later in life, that this was to a fault.
“People need people.” A favorite quote of mine is
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
–African Proverb
When our father passed away in 1974, my sophomore year in high school, hard work and making our dreams come true was squarely on our shoulders. Even when we did not “know” what those dreams were. To this day, I have always taken great pride in earning what I have in life. I stress this personally and professionally, thankful for opportunities, and am always committed to “leaving it all on the field” relative to giving my best effort at every endeavor I chose to pursue. These efforts translated into my running career, college academics, personal growth and development, and work efforts to earn money and save for college.
Personal finance has always been a strong interest of mine. How do I protect assets and provide for my family, over the long haul? The personality that I brought to the family was one of austerity, while truly believing we were “living the dream.” Core practices include living beneath means, saving relentlessly for the future, 401(k) saving contributions were always given the highest priority, steady work to assess and reduce spending, refuse to take a home mortgage beyond 15 years, refuse to carry credit card debt, and drive cars for many many years, as reliability allowed. A consistent mindset of make the most of what we have, and treasure what we have.
In 1996, when my son Ryan was diagnosed with Leukemia, the need for full-time employment, insurance coverage and concern about financial demands of our family life and Ryan’s health out-of-pocket costs, created intense focus on managing our financial resources. Desperate to survive, cash was protected wherever possible, and this again drove back to my concern for financial stability. The reality is that treatment costs, employment stability, etc. amount to stresses that unfortunately can bankrupt families who are forced to travel the childhood cancer road. My family has been blessed with emotional and financial support that helped us survive the journey to today. Today, Ryan is a five time cancer survivor, and we are living our lives concerned for his future and financial needs he will face. Yet, we are so blessed, and treasure each day that is gifted to us, as a family with both our daughter Olivia and son Ryan.
During my business career, I grew to understand and embrace the importance of financial stability and the need for a strong balance sheet and cash position. As Abe Pollin, Washington Sports & Entertainment owner, once said to me, “cash is king.” I had always, inherently, felt this way, but now Mr. Pollin was emphasizing it from the perspective of the survival of his business world. This thought is embraced to this day, and one that I take very seriously. In my job responsibilities as CFO with InstallNET International, my concern for the organization cash position and building up the financial strength of the balance sheet, was a part of my “fabric” of who I was. This revelation really hit home when reading Brene Brown’s book! It turns out that a career in accounting was perfectly suited to the demeanor of the person who I was. That connection never was fully noted, in my case, and it was gratifying to see the value of financial stability so perfectly articulated.