Prioritize Decisions Using the ‘Eisenhower Matrix’

PE-CXO’s Success Stories cast a spotlight on private equity-backed operators and the tools and tactics they leverage to create real value. In each entry, a world-class executive details a practical solution to a critical business issue. To be featured, contact mallory.stokker@pe-cxo.com with the subject line “Success Story.”

Executive: Blaine Faulkner, CFO at Alsana.

Challenge: Time management amidst the transition from a large subsidiary of a major managed health care company to a smaller, private equity-backed enterprise.

Solution: Utilizing an Eisenhower Matrix framework to drive decisions around prioritization and delegation.

If you try to do everything, you will fail. If you can’t delegate, you will certainly fail.

Alsana is my first PE-backed CFO role. I’ve now been in the position for 2-1/2 years, but the initial transition brought significant change and reorientation.

The first challenge was adapting to the PE operating style. Don’t expect a PE-backed CFO role to be a 45 to 50 hour-per-week job. It’s not. The environment is very fast-paced and very high pressure, so you should set expectations appropriately.

The second challenge was moving from a large company to a smaller enterprise. My CFO career began in a smaller business. We grew the company and then sold it, and I became the guy who didn’t leave. Over 20+ years, I rode the company from a $15 million business to becoming a subsidiary of Aetna, which was a $50 billion business when I left. Transitioning back into a smaller company added another element to the challenge.

As I steppe...