N2Growth Blog

FEBRUARY 8, 2019

Missing the turn or making it too late can cause a company to stagnate or implode or can spell the death of the idea; or worse, the idea becomes someone else’s to bring to market without you. Maybe your CFO is a family friend. And, you operate in a fishbowl. Others do not. What’s the differentiator? Here’s an example.

Delegation 243

Delegation Maturity CEO Execution 243

Marshall Goldsmith

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Co-founder of Rose Park Advisors—Disruptive Innovation Fund. A leading thinker on strategy and breakthrough innovation. Deepa Prahalad – Focused on design and emerging markets. a holding company that operates seven distinct business. Operations Group Baring Private Equity. World authority on project management.

Executive Coaching 70

Executive Coaching CEO Magazine Banking 70

Mills Scofield

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Special guest blog post by Don Esch, President of Bettcher Industries of his story at BW-Center For Innovation & Growth 's Innovation Summit. In meat plants, tens of thousands of operators are “whizzing” meat products everyday in over sixty countries around the world. Million; not big, but interesting.

Succession 70

Succession Industry Stage-Gate CFO 70

CO2

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Org charts can be arranged by function, process, product, market, customer, geographic, matrix, or a combination approach. With the PEAK model, leaders can learn just how much they are inclined to seek Perspectives (Innovators), Evaluate information at hand (Judges), take Action (Directors), and increase Knowledge (Professors).

Leadership Styles 87

Leadership Styles COO Learning-by-Doing Planning 87

CO2

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Org charts can be arranged by function, process, product, market, customer, geographic, matrix, or a combination approach. With the PEAK model, leaders can learn just how much they are inclined to seek Perspectives (Innovators), Evaluate information at hand (Judges), take Action (Directors), and increase Knowledge (Professors).

Leadership Styles 78

Leadership Styles COO Learning-by-Doing Planning 78

Miles Anthony Smith

MAY 2, 2018

Matt Sweetwood, branding expert, defines personal branding as: " Personal branding is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands -- the ongoing process of establishing a prescribed image or impression in the mind of others about an individual." Your personal brand is the mark you leave on the world.

Brand 68

Brand Examples Career Godin 68

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 24, 2013

While marketers strategize heavily around how to help consumers decide what to buy, how much time do they spend thinking about how they will pay? This area of innovation is where mobile payment companies want to play, especially in markets where such technology is less than ubiquitous. Help us understand the two sides of Square.

CFO 8

CFO Loyalty Technology Definition 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 2, 2014

It’s not easy for big companies to innovate. Moreover, the skills that are cherished and rewarded for achieving current results differ from those that aid in discovery and experimentation, both of which are needed to drive innovation. First they agreed to shift funding from small, incremental acquisitions to innovation.

Innovation 9

Innovation Metrics Christensen Workshop 9

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 28, 2012

This ongoing struggle raises an issue that is endemic in such acquisitions: In search of innovation, big companies often buy other companies whose most innovative days are almost at an end. An acquirer looking for innovation would have been likelier to try to buy Gateway, a company that is almost an after-thought now.

Innovation 12

Innovation Company Biotechnology CFO 12

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 8, 2018

The market caps of just four companies, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft, now exceed $3 trillion. Their combined assets of $944 billion are an order of magnitude lower than the combined assets of $7,700 billion of the largest 3,177 companies in 1986, when the aggregate market capitalization reached $3 trillion for the first time.

Report 8

Report GAAP Net Present Value CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 6, 2013

CMOs and CFOs don't always see eye-to-eye. An article published in CFO.com indicates that in one study, more CMOs report sharing marketing information with their CFOs than CFOs reported receiving. However, in the best run companies, the relationship between CMOs and CFOs has changed radically and for the better.

CFO 8

CFO Advertising Finance Marketing 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 17, 2017

Despite rapid innovations in data processing and machine learning, many businesses have yet to make the leap from the Industrial Age to the information age, and the gap between technological and organizational progress is widening. Closing this gap requires much more than short-term fixes, like adopting new technologies. Insight Center.

Industry 12

Industry Short-term Planning Long-term 12

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 16, 2013

No advertising innovation: The "I'm a Mac/"I'm a PC" campaign ran for three and a half years without a refresh. In 2004, Apple's CFO, Fred Anderson, left the company. There are other markets waiting to be disrupted, for sure. Volatile stock: In 2008, under Jobs, the stock price dropped by more than 50%. No iPad mini at all.

Marketing 10

Marketing Stage-Gate Advertising Price 10

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 30, 2017

Innovation at GE was on a roll. Since then Flannery has replaced Immelt’s vice chairs responsible for innovation. So is John Rice, the head of global operations, along with CFO Jeffrey Bornstein. Are lean innovation and the startup way a failure in large companies? Then it wasn’t. Comstock is out.

Ries 8

Ries Long-term Short-term Price 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 31, 2017

Before 1999 “performance” had a simple, unidimensional definition for health care leaders and their boards: It was shorthand for the CFO’s financial report, summarizing operating margins. How the most innovative providers are creating value. Insight Center. The Leading Edge of Health Care. Sponsored by Optum.

Health Care 12

Health Care Chief Financial Officer Comparison Quality 12

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

The result is the reconstitution or destruction of industries, creation of new market spaces, and reshaping of old industry ecosystems. ” Immelt elevated marketing and digital media when he promoted Beth Comstock to vice chair, while other positions, including that of the CFO, are at the senior vice president level.

Short-term 8

Short-term How To Venture Capitalist CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 16, 2012

To enhance financial flexibility, companies have been retaining unprecedented amounts of cash on their balance sheets, calling it "strategic" cash to distinguish it from the "operating" cash that is needed to run the business. It can: Save Taxes. Much of the strategic cash is typically held outside the United States. Facilitate Investments.

Company 13

Company Cost of Capital Finance Long-term 13

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 20, 2013

This striking gap signals an opportunity for companies: Secure a competitive advantage by building your employees' ability to succeed in the increasingly complicated labyrinths of today's — and tomorrow's — markets. Allianz Group is now rolling out Social OPEX to a range of operational entities, including those in the UK and Asia.

Entrepreneur 8

Entrepreneur Company Six Sigma Franchising 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 4, 2011

Some retailers are responding with clever innovations. Creating this new intelligent store requires, at the very least, the CIO, the chief marketing officer, the SVP of store operations and the SVP of e-commerce to determine how to best engage with increasingly digital-savvy, data-driven shoppers.

Retail 15

Retail Attrition CIO CFO 15

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 16, 2015

And as an HBS white paper points out, even some of today’s most mainstream executives — from the CTO to even the CFO — were once just new positions created to deal with “significant opportunities and risks emerging from technological or social disruptions.” The Future of Operations. Insight Center.

Constraint 8

Constraint Supply Chain Resources Operations 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 28, 2012

The same investment logic holds for Apple's innovation ecosystem; the flow and fortune of its third-party apps development alone would yield valuable insight. But that mind-set's simply too focused and operational. Ignore Costly Market Data and Rely on Google Instead? That's the essence of the Big Data business case. More >>.

Hedge 15

Hedge Core Competence CFO ROI 15

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 4, 2015

A new Conference Board study, as CFO magazine reported , reveals some startling growth in greener products at a dozen big companies like Kimberly-Clark, Dow, GE, Siemens, Toshiba, and more. But by and large, for years, Walmart has taken, in my view, a mainly operational, cost-reducing, brand-fitting approach to sustainability.

Productivity 8

Productivity Products Chemicals Retail 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

In addition they operate from a plan — however confidential it may be — to strengthen the team year over year. For example, Tim Sheahan, Chief Financial Officer for a large division of a multi-national corporation, aspires to become CFO of a Fortune 100 company in the future.

Execution 14

Execution Team Chief Financial Officer Finance 14

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 6, 2011

A large division of this company had recognized the need to dramatically change its business model to survive and succeed in a changing market. Process champions must have them ready for the day when the CEO or CFO effectively says, "Show me the money.". Brad Power is a consultant and researcher in process innovation.

Process 14

Process Six Sigma Finance Short-term 14

Harvard Business Review

MAY 30, 2016

Many firms operating brick and mortar stores are in trouble. As the CFO of Macy’s put it recently, “ “We’re frankly scratching our heads.” Creative retailers are using the new technologies to innovate just about everything stores do from managing inventory, to marketing, to getting paid.

Retail 8

Retail Real Estate B2B CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 30, 2013

In fact, Amazon was only operating at such a high burn rate because it could. That opportunistic approach to financial markets has defined Amazon since it went public in 1997. When Uncle Wall Street (also known as Mr. Market ) is in a generous mood, Bezos is always ready to take advantage by putting investment ahead of profitability.

Training 9

Training Bond Christensen Long-term 9

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 26, 2014

When considering the promotion of a relatively junior executive to the position of CEO, boards can have the candidate tested and prepared by ensuring an appointment as president, CFO, or COO. Placing the candidate on a corporate board will help him or her gain experience interacting with directors.

CEO 12

CEO Contingency Plans Telecommunications Planning 12

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 26, 2016

Instead she was ramping up mobile-banking operations—which competitors were also doing—and looking to experiment with something more innovative: partnerships with supermarkets and electronics stores that would allow FDM to set up kiosks within them. “The market research from Capital is promising.

Case Study 8

Case Study CEO Banking Agility 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 8, 2013

Henry was the senior vice president of operations. Tony, the chief marketing officer, had suggested taking a drive so that they could talk about the integration of Beacon''s latest acquisition, VillageCar. I know I''m an ops guy and you''re the marketing guru, but I don''t buy it," Henry said. It gave us access to a new market.

Case Study 8

Case Study Brand How To Beyer 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 1, 2017

In my experience, legacy managements too frequently misunderstand recommenders’ role in driving innovation and cultural change. They treat recommendation engines more as e-commerce sales and marketing gimmicks — another feature to add to the site — than as crucial investments in virtuous cycle platforms.

Engineering 8

Engineering Company White Paper Cooper 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 7, 2017

Employees and other constituents should expect HR to hold leaders accountable for fiduciary and strategic risks, just as a CFO would be expected to hold leaders accountable for a risky pattern of using corporate funds or resources. Are these acceptable growing pains? In one word: No.

Compliance 11

Compliance Hedge Human Capital Finance 11

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 22, 2012

He did not frame it as an HR issue, and repeatedly spoke about both the market side of the equation (the majority of Nestle's customers) as well as the talent side of the equation. At the corporate level, the group CFO is a woman. Nestle is not yet a leader in gender balancing, but they are an innovator.

Leadership Pipeline 10

Leadership Pipeline CFO Committee Globalization 10

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 9, 2010

She'd mentioned her business, Calidad de Vida, a group of day care centers for the elderly, and he'd peppered her with questions, explaining that he was interested not only as a doctor (he was the leading cardiothoracic surgeon at Madrid's best hospital) but also as a potential investor (he'd unloaded his stocks just before the market collapsed).

Case Study 13

Case Study Franchising Health Care Follow-up 13

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 7, 2011

Air Products, for example, tripled corporate productivity (hard profit-and-loss benefits) from 2003 to 2006, and boosted operating return on net assets from 9.5% The wishes of a functional head such as CFO, CMO, or company President won out over a Process Owner of Order-to-Cash. And they succeeded wildly. from 2004 to 2007.

Process 15

Process Champy Competitive Advantage Hammer 15

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 10, 2016

employees, customers, free agents, communities we operate in) and so much more. Similar to what we’ve learned about creating cultures of innovation, it takes more than a handful of leaders contributing creative brilliance; it takes leaders driving the focus on and readiness for change that going digital requires. Expert Coaching.

Leadership Development 8

Leadership Development Disaggregation Development Leadership 8