The year I had no title
I left a CFO seat at 54 and discovered how much of me was the job. Here is what the first year actually looked like.
Ray Donnelly
Retired CFO
I gave my notice on a Tuesday. By Friday my badge did not work and my calendar was empty for the first time since 1994.
The first month felt like a holiday. The second felt like unemployment. By month four I was introducing myself at parties as "formerly CFO at —" which is a sentence that tells people you have not let go.
What helped, in order: a standing Tuesday coffee with two other people who had left, writing down what I actually did all day, and saying yes to one unpaid board seat that had nothing to do with finance.
What did not help: pretending the money question was settled when it was not, and telling my wife I was fine.
If you are looking at the door: work out who you are on a Tuesday morning before you stop being who you are on a Monday.
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