“It wouldn’t surprise me. No, it would be exciting.”

That was Adam Ante’s initial response when asked if five years from now, he could imagine himself still in the C-suite—but not as a CFO. The comment seemed to linger in the air, hinting at a deeper current in his career journey. Ante, who had led Paycor through an IPO, a pandemic, and most recently, a $4.1 billion sale to Paychex, wasn’t just closing out a CFO chapter—he may have been opening something entirely new.

While he later softened the sentiment, suggesting he might be surprised if he moved beyond finance, his earlier candor revealed a finance leader attuned to operations—and perhaps transformation.

Years earlier, Ante had flown weekly to Colorado, struggling to integrate a newly acquired company. “I felt like I was failing,” he tells us. The lesson was hard-won: strategy and spreadsheets are meaningless unless you can move people with them. That shift—from financial executor to business operator—has defined his trajectory ever since.

His strategic mindset matured further with Extreme Ownership, a book he credits with changing how he approached leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and results.

Now, as the dust settles on Paycor’s acquisition, Ante’s priorities have shifted once again—to preserving what works, aligning teams, and honoring the customer experience. Whether he remains within Paychex or steps into an entirely new arena, one thing seems clear: Adam Ante’s career has always been more about ownership than titles.

Forget about that impostor syndrome – it stems from an in-authentic leadership style. Find yours and lean in with your team. Focus on building relationships and removing hurdles. It will be a grind, and you won’t have all the answers, but when you can be yourself and build great relationships, everything gets easier.

“Forget about that impostor syndrome—it stems from inauthentic leadership. Find your style and lean in with your team. Focus on building relationships and removing hurdles. It will be a grind, and you won’t have all the answers, but when you can be yourself and build strong relationships, everything gets easier.” —Adam Ante, CFO, Paycor

CFOTL: As a CFO, you played a key role during this acquisition. What have been your priorities since Paychex announced the deal, and how will you measure success through this transition?

Ante: Clearly, there are specific financial goals we’re focused on—revenue growth, cost savings, synergies, and the ability to unlock a new level of scale for our customers. But the first and most important priority is always the team. It’s about how we come together, making sure we have the right leaders in place who can align around our strategic objectives and execute effectively.

From there, it’s been about expanding our sales organization, continuing to invest in that area, and zeroing in on what we call the “moments that matter” for our customers. We want to deliver a seamless series of experiences that help our customers deeply engage with our product and feel confident in the service we provide. That’s how we reinforce our customer value proposition and how, ultimately, we’ll measure our success—by the strength of the team, the clarity of our execution, and the value we deliver to our customers.

Paycor | www.paycor.com | Cincinnati, OH

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