There is no performance grace period for the US president-elect in his first 100 days, nor for new financial managers, who are expected to produce results immediately, a recent survey suggests. One in five (21 per cent) chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed cited increasing productivity and building rapport with new staff as the equal leading challenges faced in their first 100 days on the job. Boosting profitability was the third most common response, cited by 15 per cent of executives.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources, the premier provider of senior-level accounting and finance professionals on a project and interim basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. It was based on telephone interviews with more than 270 CFOs across Canada. CFOs were asked, "Which one of the following was the greatest challenge you faced in your first 100 days in your current position?"  Their responses:


Increasing productivity ...................................................................... 21%
Building rapport with new staff ....................................................... 21%
Increasing profitability ..................................................................... 15%
Personnel decisions, such as hiring or staff reductions .......... 13%
Building rapport with your CEO ........................................................ 6%
None ................................................................................................... 13%
Other/don't know .............................................................................. 11%

                                                                                                             100%


"New financial managers need to make an immediate impact," said David King, executive vice president for Robert Half Management Resources. "In today's economy, especially, executives may have less time to prove themselves and are expected to demonstrate tangible results." King noted that while just 13 per cent of CFOs cited personnel decisions as their top priority, managers should not overlook this critical step. "A talented team is essential to enhanced productivity. Financial managers need to connect with their human resources departments to help understand what motivates employees to perform at their highest levels."



About the Survey

The national study was developed by Robert Half Management Resources. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on more than 270 telephone interviews with CFOs from a random sample of Canadian companies.



Robert Half Management Resources has more than 150 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.roberthalfmr.com.