Uncovering Blind Spots and Other Lessons from High-Growth Companies with Five-Time CFO David Lapter

Listen to this episode from Run the Numbers on Spotify. In this episode, Dashlane’s David Lapter, a five-time CFO, joins CJ to discuss the challenges of steering high-growth companies. He breaks down the common blind spots that CFOs face, why many double down on their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, and how the Eisenhower Matrix helped him tackle his own gaps. David also gives his take on competitors and his philosophy of differentiating your org from theirs without demonizing them, as well as how they can be used for motivation. David shares insights on building high-functioning teams, when teams should move from overlapping responsibilities to more defined roles, how to simplify your OKRs to be more effective, and the nature of the ideal HR-CFO relationship. This episode is packed with valuable takeaways for finance leaders navigating the complexities of high-growth environments.If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist.—SPONSORS:Vanta's trust management platform takes the manual work out of your security and compliance process and replaces it with continuous automation. Over 9000 businesses use it to automate compliance needs across over 35 frameworks like SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Centralize security workflows, complete questionnaires up to five times faster, and proactively manage vendor risk. For a limited time, get $1,000 off of Vanta at vanta.com/metrics.Tropic is an intelligent spend management solution that consolidates your spend data and processes into one unified offering, enabling insights and decisive action. It doesn’t just show you where the problems are—it helps you solve them. From spotting hidden optimization opportunities, like duplicative spend, to automating those painful procurement workflows, to giving you the best market data that turns every vendor negotiation in your favor. Tropic combines smart insights with real human expertise to keep you ahead of the curve. Visit tropicapp.io/mostlymetrics to learn howNetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than 40,000 companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅, head to NetSuite https://netsuite.com/metrics and get the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.RightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. Whether it's multi-element arrangements, subscription renewals, or complex usage-based contracts, RightRev takes care of it all. That means fewer spreadsheets, fewer errors, and more time for your team to focus on growth. For modern revenue recognition simplified, visit rightrev.com and schedule a demo.Planful is a financial performance management platform designed to streamline financial tasks for businesses. It helps with budgeting, closing the books, and financial reporting, all on a cloud-based platform. By improving the efficiency and accuracy of these processes, Planful allows businesses to make better financial decisions. Find out more at www.planful.com/metrics.Brex offers the world's smartest corporate card on a full-stack global platform that is everything CFOs need to manage their finances on an elite level. Plus they offer modern banking and treasury as well as intuitive expenses and accounting automation, bill pay, and travel. Brex makes it easy to control spend before it happens, automate annoying tasks, and optimize your finances. Find out how Brex can help you make every dollar count at brex.com/metrics.—FOLLOW US ON X:@cjgustafson222 (CJ)—TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview and Intro(01:52) Sponsor – Vanta | Tropic | Netsuite(06:18) Identifying Blind Spots(10:44) Hiring to Fill Your Blind Spots(14:21) The Eisenhower Matrix and Prioritising Your Blind Spots(17:15) Sponsor – RightRev | Planful | Brex(20:58) The Traps of Execution Mode Syndrome(26:37) David’s Philosophy on Speaking About Competitors(31:09) Tips for Communicating How You’re Differentiated(33:02) How Competitors Can Motivate Teams(39:46) When to Move from Overlapping Responsibilities to More Defined Roles(46:50) Simplifying OKRs(52:16) The Urge to Copy the Goal Setting of Other Companies(54:56) Should HR Report to the CFO?(57:57) Long-Ass Lightning Round: A VAT Mistake(01:00:21) Advice to Younger Self(01:03:32) Finance Software Stack(01:06:14) Craziest Expense Story Get full access to Mostly metrics at www.mostlymetrics.com/subscribe