Our Chief Financial Officer is critical to our upcoming exit transaction, but the intense workload of due diligence on top of running daily operations has pushed them to the brink of burnout. They are hinting at resigning, which would derail our sale. How do we support them and secure their commitment through the closing?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You cannot afford to lose your Chief Financial Officer during due diligence, but trying to solve this with empty platitudes or a vague promise of a bonus at the end is a recipe for failure. You must take immediate, concrete action to relieve their operational burden and align their financial incentives with the successful sale of the company. First, address the workload. Your CFO cannot run a complex transaction and manage day-to-day accounting operations simultaneously. You must offload their routine tasks. This is the perfect time to bring in fractional support or a contract controller to handle the daily bookkeeping, financial reporting, and payroll. This frees up your CFO to focus exclusively on the due diligence requests. Second, address their conative energy. Run a Kolbe B Index assessment to see if their current workload is aligned with their natural strengths. If they are a high Fact Finder who is being forced to make rapid, high-risk decisions without enough data, they will experience severe strain. Finally, you must structure a formal retention and stay bonus agreement. This should be a legally binding contract that guarantees a significant cash payout only if they remain with the company through the closing date plus a transition period, typically three to six months post-sale. By combining immediate operational relief with a highly lucrative financial incentive, you protect their mental health, secure their commitment, and safeguard your exit valuation.