Give us wings

[Martin Cassini]

On Today, Conran CEO, Roger Mavity, said finance directors tend not to make good CEOs. FDs are an important part of the team, but you need energy and caution. A well-designed car has one brake and one accelerator. Two brakes and no accelerator makes an unexciting journey. Applied to politics? It does feel as if former Chancellor, Gordon Brown, now PM, has a brake under both feet. Good FDs are better at controlling than creating. You need a balance between the two skills. Nothing against control. It's when control exceeds creativity that problems start. Struck me as a useful metaphor for traffic control v freedom to choose. Over-control clips our wings. Creative self-control gives us wings.