#242 What Makes a Great CFO Mentor with Jen Burton, Mentor, GrowCFO
In this insightful episode of The GrowCFO Show, host Kevin Appleby interviews Jen Burton, a new mentor at GrowCFO and current Chief Financial Officer at RJE Business Interiors based in Indianapolis. Throughout their conversation, Jen shares her extensive experience spanning multiple industries including her significant 14-year tenure at Rolls Royce, where she implemented global finance shared services strategies and led successful system integrations.
The discussion explores Jen’s journey from public accounting to various CFO roles, highlighting her operational and strategic expertise. Particularly valuable is Jen’s perspective on mentorship, as she discusses how her diverse experiences – from implementing ERP systems to managing finance transformations – have shaped her approach to guiding other finance professionals. Her unique background, including her skydiving experience, provides powerful metaphors for the trust and teamwork required in effective financial leadership.
The conversation explores how finance teams can shift from their traditional backward-looking roles to become more proactive, creative partners in business decision-making. Kevin and Melanie discuss the challenges finance professionals face in making this transition, including mindset barriers, change fatigue, and the need for leadership support. They emphasize that becoming “Finance Fit” requires not only technical skill development but also personal growth, relationship building, and finding fulfillment in one’s work.
Key topics covered:
- Jen identifies primarily as an operational CFO with strong process-driven and team-oriented skills, though she has significant experience in strategic roles and as a trusted advisor
- Drawing from her experience implementing global finance shared services at Rolls Royce, Jen emphasizes the importance of change management and having the right people in the right roles
- Jen shares personal insights about overcoming imposter syndrome, offering practical advice for new CFOs on building confidence through breaking tasks into manageable steps
- The discussion explores how Jen’s skydiving experience taught valuable lessons about trust and teamwork that directly apply to financial leadership
- Kevin highlights the distinction between mentoring and coaching, explaining that mentors bring valuable “war stories” and practical experience rather than just guiding mentees to find their own answers
Links
Timestamps
- 0:11:03 Introduction to Jen Burton as a new GrowCFO mentor and CFO at RJE Business Interiors
- 0:20:00 Discussion of different CFO types and Jen’s identification as primarily an operational CFO
- 0:25:15 Jen shares her skydiving experience and the parallels to teamwork in finance
- 0:30:45 Exploration of Jen’s experience implementing global finance shared services at Rolls Royce
- 0:38:20 Discussion about imposter syndrome and building confidence as a CFO
- 0:46:42 Kevin explains the value of mentorship and the importance of chemistry between mentor and mentee
Find out more about GrowCFO
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GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. Join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars. Premium members can also access our extensive training center and CFO Digital Toolkit. You can enroll in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programs here.
You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net
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