If the employees use that format for their to-do lists, you can look at and understand exactly what the employees are doing and how it's fitting in with the five areas of focus to move the organization forward. This also gives the employee some leverage to remind you when ask them to perform tasks that fall outside the areas of focus that you chose for finance. And if you find this conversation happens often, it will be an indication that finance is going off course and spending too much time on the wrong things.

The upside of imperfection is productivity. Of course, you don't want to be half-right in financial reporting. In corporate financial leadership the key is recognizing what's worth pursuing perfection in, and what isn't. As CFO, you want the people who report to you to be accurate in the detail-oriented work they do. But at the most senior level the same level of attention to detail can be a detriment to a CFO.