N2Growth Blog

JULY 17, 2014

I had the opportunity to sit with Lewis Booth , former CFO of Ford Motor Company, who along with the senior executive team, led the successful turnaround and global repositioning of Ford. They then use the exact same slides for their next level reviews, so everyone in management knows the same basic information in the same format.

Review 333

Review CFO Operations Efficiency 333

Great Leadership By Dan

APRIL 1, 2014

A new CFO came on board and decided that training was a luxury that could no longer be afforded. What training staff was left was charged with trying to convince the remaining employees that the company 40 hour training commitment was really a 40 hour development commitment. Training budgets and staff were drastically cut.

Training 230

Training Development Budgeting Learning Curve 230

Rich Gee Group

SEPTEMBER 29, 2014

you’re the CEO (or the President, CFO, CMO, CIO, you get the idea). “It was a list that she had compiled of her important events and activities that I had missed due to work commitments,” he wrote. You work hard. You come in early, stay late, and work over the weekends. But it’s not enough.

CEO 221

CEO CIO CFO Tips 221

Mark Sanborn

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

In Practice: A CFO might confidently project revenue figures while neglecting market uncertainties and potential disruptions. Sunk Cost Fallacy: The Costly Commitment The Trap: Leaders sometimes persist with initiatives due to past investments, regardless of current or future viability.

Groupthink 56

Groupthink CFO Uncertainty Consensus 56

Great Leadership By Dan

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

They fail to appreciate how much commitment and rigor is needed to create and implement them. CEO ownership and strong commitment at the top. They also don't leave it up to the support team, which will end up in a lack of involvement and commitment. We've all taken pragmatic shortcuts when it comes to IDPs. I know I sure have.

Process 227

Process Execution CFO CEO 227

Modern Servant Leader

JANUARY 20, 2012

During the financial earnings call, CEO Gary Kelly , CFO Laura Wright and Executive VP Robert (Bob) E. Jordan reflected the company’s commitment to servant leadership. The company has been a role model of servant leadership since its founding by Herb Kelleher (and others). Improved Results by Acquired AirTran.

Airlines 203

Airlines Leadership CFO ROI 203

Eric Jacobson

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

He provides you proven techniques, workshop processes, real-world case studies and examples and insightful observations from business leaders and his own career – which includes 20 years as an executive at IBM and CFO positions at Cisco and Red Hat. To build commitment, involve your employees early in this process.

Chief Executive Officer 65

Chief Executive Officer Agility Loyalty CFO 65

Strategy Driven

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

How would your CFO or CIO handle this? That mindset needs to be reinforced frequently and backed up by actions that demonstrate commitment and consequence behind company policies and processes. Visibly demonstrate across the organization the commitment to security. An excerpt is below.

Bottom-up 99

Bottom-up Software Policies CIO 99

Lead on Purpose

FEBRUARY 22, 2014

The leading candidate is the scheming CFO played by Frederic March, a passionless, colorless bean counter groping for power, but with no vision beyond increasing dividend payouts to stockholders. They were capable of riveting your attention and they did so by revealing their emotional commitment to their vision.

Charisma 222

Charisma Leadership CFO Learning-by-Doing 222

Lead Change Blog

MAY 1, 2017

Everyone knows the roles and responsibilities for a CEO, CFO and CTO but change the wording and a different picture emerges. Consider this “Top Ten” list before committing to working with an executive coach.” Imagine, for example, a CEO tasked as the Chief Engagement Officer.” ” Find Eileen on Twitter at @macdarling.

Leadership Development 264

Leadership Development Development Leadership CTO 264

Lead Change Blog

NOVEMBER 7, 2016

As everyone in the US gears up to put the closing moments on a divisive political season tomorrow, I am heartened to be reminded how many great leaders there are out there, committed to helping one another be more effective and more true to themselves. Thank you all. Find Jon on Twitter at @jonverbeck1.

Leadership Development 331

Leadership Development Development Leadership 360-Degree Feedback 331

Great Leadership By Dan

MARCH 26, 2015

Does the CFO of the company you’re looking to acquire really have confidence in the revenue numbers he’s projecting? If he has committed an act of wrongdoing, for example, rationalize the behavior by assuring him that everyone is human, and that sometimes good people just make bad decisions.

Short-term 120

Short-term CFO Long-term Learning-by-Doing 120

The Horizons Tracker

MARCH 15, 2020

Who would be CFO or COO? Identify time commitments – ideally your co-founders would be full-time, but it might not be possible, so try and identify early on whether you need them full-time or not. Assigning roles. Who would be CEO? Try and identify the skills you have, and the skills you need as early as possible.

Team 87

Team Entrepreneur COO CFO 87

Rich Gee Group

DECEMBER 11, 2010

For some positions (CFO, CIO), all their hard work to make it to the table is now useless when they need to use skills other than IQ: Communication – Communicate clearly and concisely. EQ – Emotional Quotient (or Emotional Intelligence) This is where most C-Level executives fail.

CEO 238

CEO Development Licensing Motivation 238

Lead Change Blog

NOVEMBER 7, 2016

As everyone in the US gears up to put the closing moments on a divisive political season tomorrow, I am heartened to be reminded how many great leaders there are out there, committed to helping one another be more effective and more true to themselves. Thank you all. Find Jon on Twitter at @jonverbeck1.

Leadership Development 201

Leadership Development Development Leadership 360-Degree Feedback 201

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 15, 2016

This, in turn, is triggering a shift in the perceived role of the CFO — from bean counters to planters of seed corn. ” Backing this up is another group of asset managers who have committed $2 billion to invest in a newly created S&P Long-Term Value Index , a subset of companies doing things right.

Short-term 8

Short-term Long-term CFO Wiseman 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 29, 2011

Cranky people can drag everyone else down by spreading negativity and sowing seeds of doubt just when leaders need commitment. The former CFO did not go quietly. Meanwhile, the CEO and new CFO had to raise capital and revenues to make up for the shortfall, which the disgruntled former CFO blamed on everyone else.

CFO 15

CFO Chief Financial Officer Cooper Learning-by-Doing 15

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 19, 2011

A few months ago, a former client called me in a panic : Her CFO wanted to start several process simplification projects immediately — and she needed a proposal to review with him the next day. Oftentimes, as long as you commit to a specific time, this will be sufficient. Be prepared to say no.

CFO 15

CFO Crisis Proposal Finance 15

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

Consider the example of a CFO we worked with who had his heart set on landing the CEO job when his boss retired. ” The CFO was deeply embarrassed and vowed to change. Like the ill-fated CFO, many of us are “coached,” but few of us are changed by the experience. But, he didn’t.

CFO 8

CFO Motivation Incentives Resistance 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 9, 2014

Half are C-Suite level executives, meaning that they serve as CEO, CFO, COO or the board of directors at a company. These executives attribute participation in athletics to qualities like a commitment to bringing projects to completion and greater abilities in motivating others.

Sports 17

Sports COO CFO Participative 17

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 2, 2017

One CFO I know managed finance for a spin-off firm when it went public and then returned to the parent company in a corporate position. Another CFO led finance for multiple units so he could gain a breadth of knowledge across the business before becoming the corporate CFO. State your ambition.

CFO 8

CFO How To CIO Finance 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

In our work with clients across dozens of sectors over more than five years, we have found that the strongest CMO/CFO partnerships develop when both parties undertake five actions: 1. CMOs need to start building this relationship by having a clear understanding of what CFOs expect.

CFO 8

CFO Short-term Long-term Benchmarking 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 20, 2015

As the CFO of a well-funded IPO-bound company, Dan had many years of experience and he had the results to show that he had outworked and out-delivered many of his internal and external counterparts. Dan knew that if he stayed in the CFO spot beyond the IPO, the microscope would be laser focused on him. He let him take the stage.

Execution 8

Execution IPO CFO Diversity 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 20, 2015

As the CFO of a well-funded IPO-bound company, Dan had many years of experience and he had the results to show that he had outworked and out-delivered many of his internal and external counterparts. Dan knew that if he stayed in the CFO spot beyond the IPO, the microscope would be laser focused on him. He let him take the stage.

Execution 8

Execution IPO CFO Diversity 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 25, 2014

Nance Dicciani, to head our European operations in 1999 (first in the senior ranks in our industry to hold such a senior position); a Venezuelan (Rueben Salazar) and Korean (YiHyon Paik) to head our operations in Japan; an African-American (Charles Hill) as CFO of our subsidiary in Japan; and the list goes on and on.

Team 13

Team Diversity CFO TSR 13

Harvard Business Review

MAY 28, 2018

Then a new CFO joined the company: Masashi Oka, a financial industry veteran who had played a key role in transforming Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group-owned Union Bank in the US. ” The company took note and duly committed to reducing costs at a rate exceeding market contraction.

Company 9

Company ROIC CFO Restructuring 9

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 3, 2018

At one point, the CEO indicated that he would know that the right shift had occurred when the CFO, chief strategy officer, and other C-level leaders were seeking the CMO’s advice on strategic business problems. This would require an action plan, time, and organizational commitment. The first thing she did was define success.

CFO 8

CFO CEO Agility Marketing 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 19, 2015

When you borrow talent, you obtain what you need more cost effectively than hiring it and without making a long-term commitment; and when you lend talent you’re offering your stars and high-potentials new opportunities for growth and development that they might not otherwise get within the confines of your organization.

CFO 8

CFO Leadership Development Telecommunications Cost 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 29, 2016

Success was measured quantitatively by the firm’s performance (profit and growth) vs. that of its competitors, and also qualitatively by interviews with senior executives who were involved, but not deeply invested, in the efforts (typically the CFO). But the commitment to advanced analytics disrupted this equilibrium.

CFO 9

CFO Competitive Advantage Budgeting CEO 9

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. In the years since, “performance” has become more complex, now including dozens or even hundreds of quality measures.

Health Care 13

Health Care Chief Financial Officer Comparison Quality 13

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 27, 2015

She and Bernhard had been chatting with a few of his colleagues at the party when Dirksen-Hall’s CFO, Harold van der Linde, approached. She’s the finance manager for Project Samen—” but someone tapped the CFO on the shoulder, and Van der Linde made a polite exit before he could hear anything more about her.

Case Study 8

Case Study CFO Finance Project 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 7, 2012

Protect the Downside — Demonstrate a Commitment to Continued Employment. In 1992 the company was in cost-cutting mode, and, as former CFO Orry Fiume told me, it was consequently offering an early retirement package designed to reduce headcount. Consider Wiremold , a manufacturer of cable management systems.

Attrition 15

Attrition CFO Deming Outsourcing 15

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 19, 2015

His father demanded absolute commitment to the business, forcing his son to be “all in” and to follow the career path set down for him in early adolescence. ” His identity as a family member undermined his professional growth and effectiveness as CFO.

CFO 8

CFO Retail Follow-up System 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 26, 2016

In that case, taking a financial management class before you leave your day job, or recruiting a top-quality CFO, would simultaneously assuage their fears and make your startup more likely to succeed. If you’re planning to launch a startup, for instance, your colleagues might have highlighted concerns about your finance skills.

Career 8

Career Hedge CFO Advice 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

The CAO should be under an executive that naturally spans all of the business units that have analytical needs, such as the Chief Strategy Officer, the CFO, and the COO. Creating a role such as a CAO is one way to demonstrate a firm commitment to joining the revolution. It is often easier to see where a CAO role should not report.

Company 8

Company COO Information Technology CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 5, 2016

They had framing conversations with the CEO and CFO early on to discuss any financial or operational challenges. So they got third-party advice from PwC about how to treat the purchases and commitments on their financial statements. Get early buy-in. In total, getting these renewables deals done takes some work.

Energy 8

Energy Industry Finance CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 30, 2012

Some point to politics in the C-Suite, especially to competition between the COO and CFO. If the COO launched a large, cross-functional improvement program, the CFO would underfund it. Executives at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan went into the field to gather input and communicate their commitment to change.

Company 8

Company COO CFO Insurance 8