Wassia Kamon, CPA, CMA, MBA's Linkedin Analytics

If we were having coffee and talking about work, what would you ask me? Let me know below ⤵️ I'll answer as much as I can here, and the rest on either my podcast or in my newsletter. Want to ask anonymously? Simply check the link in my bio! Last week, I asked my newsletter readers this same question. I received such thoughtful questions that I'm dedicating my next podcast episode to answering these four: - Is the climb to CFO actually worth it? - Do you enjoy the work and the people? - Do you have work-life balance? - What helped you get there? So, what would be your question? I'm listening.

Had a great time returning to my alma mater, speaking to the students in the Global Portfolio Management class at Georgia State University - J. Mack Robinson College of Business Thank you to Degas Wright, CFA for the invitation! One question from the conversation really stood out to me: **“What was the biggest challenge you faced after graduating?”** For me, it was getting promoted and advancing at work. In school, everything is pretty straightforward. > Study > take the test > move on. But in the real world? It’s not that linear. Here’s the advice I shared: 1. Get alignment early. That means two things: (1) Understanding what problem you're really there to solve, and (2) Figuring out what matters most to your boss and how you can make their life easier. Your job description won’t tell you either, so use your 1-on-1s to dig deeper. 2. Build relationships beyond your boss If your promotion depends on one person and they leave, your opportunities might disappear with them. Broaden your influence across teams and levels. 3. Work on your personal brand early People will Google you or check LinkedIn before they work with you. Make sure what they find tells the right story about who you are and the value you bring. ----- And while all of that is important, The most immediate concern for many seniors is landing that *first* opportunity. If your company offers any 3-month internships or apprenticeship programs, please reach out. There’s amazing talent coming out of Georgia State, and I’d love to help make the connection!

Episode 25 is a special one. Not just because it’s a milestone, But because I got to sit down with someone whose work helped shape my own path to CFO: Jack McCullough. Jack is the founder of the CFO Leadership Council, a three-time author, podcast host, and senior contributor to the Forbes CFO Network. His latest book, MBA for Lunch, distills key lessons from top business schools into bite-sized, actionable insights. In this episode, we talk about: - The origin story behind the CFO Leadership Council - What CEOs and Boards actually look for when hiring a CFO - Why some investors say they won’t hire a CPA as CFO and what that means for Controllers Here are the highlights of our conversation ⤵️

Talent management can't be outsourced. That's one of the most valuable lessons I've learned over the course of my career. Early in my career, I thought HR would handle the "people stuff" while I focused on numbers. I was wrong. I discovered that spending time with my team gave me insights no dashboards ever could. That's why I make time for regular 1:1s and skip-level meetings with my staff. These consistent touchpoints give me real insight into what's actually happening across the team and create space to coach my emerging leaders. Because when people feel heard and supported, they perform at their best and stay longer in the organization. I'm grateful CFO Drive featured my perspective in "6 Lessons Learned About Talent Management as CFO." Now I’d love to hear from you: What’s one thing that’s helped you be a better people leader? Drop it in the comments ⤵️

I don't believe in work-life balance. I believe in work-life harmony. Yet, "do you have work-life balance" is a question I get asked a lot. As well as, is becoming a CFO really worth it? I answer all these questions in this episode. It is very personal. So personal I almost didn't publish it. Let me know what you think ⤵️

Accounting is her superpower and she’s using it in every way imaginable. Meet Professor Baseemah Nance, CPA! 📊 Chief Financial and Administrative Officer 📚 Accounting professor 📱 Amazing content creator ✍🏾 Author of a financial literacy book for kids She wears more hats than I can count and makes it all look effortless. Here are the highlights of our conversation ⤵️

Tiffany Willis, CPA made my day!!! Just had an incredible breakfast with the Atlanta CFO Leadership Council where Tiffany (SVP of Investor Relations at Starbucks) shared her wisdom on the topics : “CFO as a Storyteller” Her vibrant personality and insights were so inspiring. I was taking notes like a student! In fact, I took so many notes I can barely read my own handwriting now 😅 But from what I could read, here are a few takeaways that really stuck with me: 💬 Messaging is more than words. It’s your tone, your visuals, and the emotion you create. Even without slides, can people visualize your strategy? 🎯 To prepare for tough questions: List the ones you hope not to answer and practice those first. 🖥️ Presenting virtually? Use “skeleton decks” so people have to actually listen to hear your key points. 💎Her advice for aspiring CFOs: “Verbalize it” Because once you say it, people can help you. If you struggle to say it, maybe you don’t fully believe it yet. 🙏 Huge thanks to Jennifer S. Langley and her team for putting this together. I am so grateful for this community and the new connections I made. > Now I’ve got to track down Tiffany to have her on The Diary of a CFO Podcast! If you have questions you’d love for her to answer, drop them below by faith. Also… who else takes notes they can’t read afterward? 🙋‍♀️

I am thrilled to announce that this is hard! 🤣🤣🤣 First, I thought I just needed to fix my teeth and the flags. Then I wanted to add food. The problem is that ChatGPT delivered the food… and added 50 pounds to my character. It all went downhill from there 😂 After spending an hour on this experiment, trying to follow this trend, I was reminded that social media mostly shows you the polished end result and rarely the trials and tribulations behind it. But today, you are in luck. Behold, my top 3 starter packs out of the many I went through! Good thing they captured the right things (except for the extra teeth on the first one). 😄 The smile Because I'm very energetic and never miss an opportunity to laugh and have fun. For me, 'Happiness is a choice' and I can't let life and the work that I do as a finance and accounting professional weigh me down. 💖 The pink Fun fact: I wear pink to every speaking engagement because I want to see more 'pink' in finance. 🇨🇮 🇺🇲 The Flags Because I was born and raised in Ivory Coast but have lived in the U.S. for over 2 decades. 🍽️ The Food!!! Because I am a foodie and my favorite meal is fried plantains with fried fish. (What else to expect from a West African leaving in the south 🤷🏾‍♀️) 🎙The mics Because I host The Diary of a CFO Podcast and speak on stages around the country. 💻 The Lenovo + Excel Chart Because I love a laptop with a 10-key and a good Excel spreadsheet. (Please don’t hand me a Google Sheet 😅) *** Big thanks to my 27K followers *** Out of all the options you have online, I’m so grateful you keep showing up to read my content. If you are new here - Welcome! I’m Wassia (pronounced Wa-see-Ya) and I post about what it really takes to reach and thrive at the executive level, especially in finance and accounting. -----‐------‐ Now back to The Starter Pack challenge! Thank you April Little , Jeannine K Brown and Jalonni Weaver for the inspiration! Here's how you can create your own starter pack in ChatGPT Upload your picture and type: “Can you create an image of a 3D action figure named '[Your Name]', displayed in a clear plastic blister package with a [color] background? The figure resembles me as the attached picture. The top of the packaging features bold black text with: '[Your Name]' (as the name) and '[Your Role]' (as the job title). Inside the packaging, alongside the figure [describe pose or expression], include job-related accessories: [list them]. The design should be clean, cartoonish, and neatly styled, like a collectible toy sold in stores. Also include [flags, symbols, etc.] in the top corner.” Can’t wait to see your experiments, especially the not-so-perfect ones 😄