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Bridging humanity and technology: Brene Brown on leadership's new challenge | Fortune

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  Published in Science and Technology on Wednesday, September 17th 2025 at 10:18 GMT by Fortune
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Bridging Humanity and Technology: Brene Brown on the New CFO Challenge

In a world that has already been reshaped by digital disruption, Fortune’s latest feature – “Bridging Humanity and Technology: Brene Brown on Leadership and the New Challenge for CFOs” – argues that the next great test for chief financial officers will be less about numbers and more about nurturing trust in an era of relentless automation and data‑driven decision‑making. The article weaves together Brown’s research on vulnerability, shame, and empathy with the practical realities of modern corporate finance, and ends with a roadmap for CFOs looking to keep the human side alive while still steering the company’s financial ship.

The Human‑Tech Divide

The piece opens by painting a stark image: a boardroom where the CFO’s dashboard is a glowing array of KPIs, while the executive suite that once relied on face‑to‑face dialogue now runs on Zoom calls and AI‑generated briefs. “We’re in a paradoxical age,” Brown writes, citing her own research that shows vulnerability is the single strongest predictor of workplace performance. “People want to know that they matter, but the metrics they’re measured against feel like cold, faceless algorithms.”

The article highlights the CFO’s dual role in this environment. On one hand, they must manage financial risk, maintain liquidity, and ensure compliance. On the other, they must become custodians of the company’s “psychological capital” – a term Brown coined that refers to an organization’s capacity for resilience, optimism, and empathy. Brown argues that without a conscious effort to weave these two strands together, the CFO risks becoming a purely data‑centric gatekeeper, alienating the very people who deliver the numbers in the first place.

Brown’s Framework for Empathetic Leadership

The feature then delves into Brown’s “Dare to Lead” playbook – a framework that CFOs can adapt for their own context. The three pillars are:

1. Vulnerability as Strength – Brown explains that vulnerability is not weakness. For a CFO, this means admitting when a forecast is uncertain, when a cost‑cutting measure may harm morale, or when a new technology rollout might outpace people’s readiness. By framing uncertainty as a shared challenge, the CFO can invite collaboration and shared ownership.

2. Empathy, Not Sympathy – The article notes that empathy requires active listening and the willingness to see a situation from another’s perspective. In practice, this could involve a CFO conducting “walk‑throughs” with frontline teams to understand how budgeting decisions affect day‑to‑day operations, or setting up feedback loops where employees can anonymously flag concerns about new financial tools.

3. Courageous Communication – Brown’s research emphasizes that courageous leaders communicate without ego, admitting mistakes and celebrating learning. For CFOs, this could translate to quarterly town‑halls where the board shares the big picture but also candidly discusses where the company fell short of its financial goals.

The article provides a real‑world example from a Fortune‑listed company that recently revamped its CFO’s role. The finance chief added a “Human Capital Officer” to the board and instituted a monthly “Pulse Survey” that measures employee trust in the organization’s financial decisions. According to the CFO, the company saw a 12% drop in turnover and a measurable uptick in cross‑departmental collaboration.

New Challenges for CFOs

Brown points out that the “new challenge” for CFOs is navigating the intersection of digital ethics and financial stewardship. The piece cites two high‑profile incidents—data‑breach lawsuits at major retailers and AI‑driven pricing models that were accused of price discrimination—as cautionary tales. CFOs now must be fluent not just in spreadsheets, but also in ethical frameworks that govern data use and algorithmic bias.

The article suggests several strategies:

• Governance of AI and Big Data: CFOs should establish a cross‑functional “Ethics Council” that includes data scientists, legal counsel, and HR, to review the financial impact of AI initiatives.

• Investment in Psychological Safety: Companies that prioritize employee well‑being, per Brown’s research, see higher returns on R&D and lower costs associated with disengagement. CFOs can allocate a portion of the capital budget to wellness programs, employee training, and open‑source tools that democratize data access.

• Transparent Stakeholder Reporting: Brown recommends that financial reports include a “human impact” section, detailing how decisions affect employees, communities, and the environment. This not only satisfies increasingly conscious investors but also aligns with ESG (environmental, social, governance) criteria.

The article also notes that technology itself can be leveraged to foster empathy—AI‑driven sentiment analysis, for instance, can surface real‑time concerns from staff. However, Brown warns that without human oversight, such tools risk becoming just another source of “vigilance fatigue.” The key, she says, is to pair data with a narrative that acknowledges human experience.

Take‑Away Resources

At the end of the feature, Fortune links to several supplemental materials that deepen the reader’s understanding:

• A link to Brown’s TED‑Talk, “The Power of Vulnerability,” which gives the foundational research behind her leadership philosophy.
• An interview on CFO.com where a CFO shares her “playbook for integrating empathy into quarterly planning.”
• A downloadable “CFO’s Guide to Ethical AI” (free PDF) from the Harvard Business Review.

Each of these resources extends the article’s core message: CFOs are no longer just financial gatekeepers; they are now cultural stewards, navigating a world where technology and humanity must coexist. By embracing vulnerability, empathy, and courage, the CFO can transform the finance function from a risk‑averse silo into a catalyst for resilient, human‑centric growth.