"My expectation from a CFO tends to be high," Brendan D. Anderson, a partner in Evolution Capital, tells the Times. "I almost view the CFO as the next step to the CEO in that they understand everything and can communicate verbally and in writing how the business is performing, how the plan is coming together and also forecasting where budgets and projects are headed."

As VerticalResponse's Popick notes in her piece: "In my opinion, a great CFO walks around and talks to employees, understands customers' needs and understands where the business is going. They do not sit in their office only crunching numbers; they should have a feel for where those numbers come from."