Boards reflexively promote CFOs to CEO because steady hands feel safe. But in a volatile market, "safe" is often code for stagnation. Safety isn't a personality trait; it's a trap that flatlines growth by Quarter 2.

In this episode, Ash Wendt dismantles the "Finance to CEO" pipeline. We expose the difference between a CFO who owns the P&L and a CEO who owns the market. You will get the CFO-to-CEO Gauntlet: a 14-day stress test designed to reveal if your candidate has true market instinct or is just hiding behind a spreadsheet.

The Playbook:

• The 3 Decision Test: Can they reallocate capital, spike pricing, and fire customers in 7 days?
• The Shadow Mission: A 90-day protocol to test narrative power before you hand over the keys.
• The Evidence Gates: Why "perfect information" is the enemy of CEO success.

Don’t guess on succession. Audit the instinct, not just the math.