Strategy Driven

MAY 4, 2019

Before starting as CFO, I repeatedly scanned through my leadership qualities, considering how I would present myself to my new colleagues. A study of UC Berkeley PhDs discovered that EQ was 40 times more powerful in predicting who achieved success in their fields than IQ ( Developing Management Skills ). They should be story-tellers.

P&L 58

P&L CFO Sharpe Finance 58

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. This article posted on LiveLesium offers six tips for developing this important facet of the charismatic personality—confidence.

Charisma 222

Charisma Leadership CFO Learning-by-Doing 222

Strategy Driven

JULY 27, 2018

Of the many key aspects of your business, finances are one of the most important. In light of this, you should continuously look for ways to ensure that your business finances are well managed. In addition to this, you should also carry out audits on a regular basis and ensure your finance team is effectively carrying out their job.

Tips 52

Tips Management Budgeting Discount 52

Harvard Business Review

JULY 25, 2016

What receives far less attention is that, more and more in our increasingly complex, volatile, and fully-globalized business world, the effectiveness of such action depends on a powerful partnership between the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the General Counsel (GC). Compliance.

CFO 8

CFO Chief Financial Officer Compliance Due Diligence 8

Women on Business

JANUARY 17, 2011

CEO, CMO, COO, CIO, CFO, etc.), Furthermore, of the 535 highest paid and most senior positions at those companies, only 5.8% are held by women (down from 6.9% in the prior year). One more disheartening statistic shows that only 26% of those companies have at least one woman in an executive officer’s position (e.g.,

Press Release 113

Press Release Discount PR Directory 113

Harvard Business Review

JULY 17, 2014

Rajamannar involved finance early. To spearhead analytic efforts, he assigned a finance person – who was already embedded in marketing – to create an ROI evaluation framework and integrated her deeper into the marketing function. MasterCard had always been a data-driven organization. Inside Intel. The result has been transformational.

Finance 13

Finance Marketing P&L ROI 13

Women on Business

JANUARY 8, 2011

She’s taking over the seat formerly occupied by Apple’s former CFO, John Anderson, who resigned amidst a stock options backdating scandal. Develop Your Own Advisory Board Post by Jane K. Andrea Jung was an executive vice president at Neiman-Marcus before she joined Avon in 1996. Avon’s stock price was up 15% in 2007.Â

Press Release 124

Press Release CEO Discount PR 124

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 26, 2011

Yet this is exactly the challenge facing leaders of the finance function who are asked to help their organization improve the way that work is done. As finance shifts its focus from controlling costs to advising managers on improvement activities, CFOs must change their thinking and behaviors. Getting the CFO on board is key.

Finance 11

Finance CFO Budgeting Operations 11

N2Growth Blog

JUNE 29, 2010

Creating a framework for decisioning, using a published delegation of authority statement, encouraging sound business practices in collaboration, team building, leadership development, and talent management will all help even out the uneven. Where there is disagreement there is an inherent potential for growth and development.

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Blog Brand CEO Consultative 286

Lead on Purpose

DECEMBER 6, 2010

Here are the key roles that are crucial to your success as a product manager, and why they are important: Engineering/QA: The relationship with the engineering/development team is paramount for product managers. Accounting/Finance: This group is often completely ignored by product management.

Productivity 182

Productivity Products Management Leadership 182

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 22, 2010

If your CFO handles all communications with your banking relationships, and your Chief Investment Officer handles all of your investor relations, you’re flat out missing the boat. If your CMO is making all of your brand decisions there will be h*ll to pay down the road.

Blog 412

Blog Gordon CEO Consultative 412

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 11, 2016

Since then, as the composition of top executive teams has changed, responsibility for leading strategy development has been shared by more members of the C-suite. The 1990s saw the rise of the strategic CFO, and more recently many companies have created a chief strategy officer (CSO) position. There are two reasons for this.

Strategy 8

Strategy CFO Finance Short-term 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 17, 2015

A new study by The Bridgespan Group, based on a survey of more than 400 nonprofit C-suite executives and dozens of interviews, surfaced this surprising finding and discussed how to address this leadership development deficit. Education crowdfunder DonorsChoose.org, which finances classroom-based projects, is a good model of success.

Development 8

Development Mentor COO CFO 8

Marshall Goldsmith

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

14th Administrator, United States Agency for International Development. Rod MacKenzie – Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer for Pfizer, member of Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team. HR and talent development roles with General Motors Australia. Darek Lenart – Senior VP HR, Finance MasterCard.

Executive Coaching 70

Executive Coaching CEO Magazine Banking 70

Harvard Business Review

JULY 29, 2014

In the July/August issue of HBR , Ram Charan argues that the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) role should be eliminated, with HR responsibilities funneled in two separate directions — administration , led by traditional HR-types, reporting to the CFO; and talent strategy , led by high-potential line managers, reporting to the corner office.

CFO 11

CFO Charan Intangible Assets Human Resources 11

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 6, 2013

But this makes the still lingering CMO-CFO disconnect even more significant, as both executives are now stewards of that critical corporate data. We found that we shared a passion for finance, the stock market, innovation, and marketing (and, candidly, politics). Figure out the definitions. Understand both sides of risk.

CFO 8

CFO Advertising Finance Marketing 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

This lack of an analytical approach has traditionally formed a barrier between marketing and finance. One financial services CMO told us how CFOs typically perceive his function: “We’re going to give a certain amount of dollars to those guys. They’re going to make ads and do whatever it is they do.

CFO 8

CFO Short-term Long-term Benchmarking 8

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.

CFO 8

CFO How To CIO Finance 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 8, 2018

Digital companies, however, consider scientists’ and software workers’ and product development teams’ time to be the company’s most valuable resource. This notion, that risk is a desirable feature, can seem like sacrilege to anyone who’s taken an introductory finance course.

Report 8

Report GAAP Net Present Value CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 13, 2012

The CIO has to know what's going on in finance and marketing, for instance, and P&L experience is important even for support functions like human resources. That's one reason that job rotation is more common than ever as a development tool. So, for instance, if you want a top finance job it's not enough to be the best CFO in the U.S.;

Execution 15

Execution P&L CFO Globalization 15

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 1, 2018

” In finance, for example, that might mean believing — based on no evidence — that only MBA graduates from an elite university are likely to succeed at their jobs. The company’s CFO asked a crowd of the company’s most accomplished finance leaders to raise their hand if they had attended an Ivy League school.

Power 12

Power Management Diversity CFO 12

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 5, 2016

Under this financing structure, the company contracts to buy kilowatts, not the turbines and panels. They held about 40 meetings with companies that had bought renewable energy and with big project developers. They had framing conversations with the CEO and CFO early on to discuss any financial or operational challenges.

Energy 8

Energy Industry Finance CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 8, 2013

Either you couldn''t develop an insider, or the external environment has shifted enough that you need someone who can come in and really drive transformational change. Insiders are much more likely to replace the COO, for instance, while outsiders are more likely to replace the CFO. It could be. But why do you hire an outsider?

CEO 10

CEO CFO COO Industry 10

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 18, 2018

Lance was struck by what he saw in CFO Damon Ewen’s file. His CFO and his sales chief had been at loggerheads for a while. After all, sales and finance were often at odds in organizations, and the conflict hadn’t had a big impact on Barker’s revenues. I’m the CFO and he’s in charge of sales.

Case Study 13

Case Study Team CFO Merchandising 13

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 21, 2011

Twelve cases are written as narratives with multiple teaching points, but without a focus on a particular business decision; the remaining twenty-three cases were written around specific conundrums related to strategy, operations, finance, marketing, leadership, culture, human resources, organizational design, business model, and growth.

Learning-by-Doing 62

Learning-by-Doing Price Bottom-up Finance 62

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 6, 2011

The company in our story got so excited by its process blueprints that it forgot to develop a clear financial case. Process champions must have them ready for the day when the CEO or CFO effectively says, "Show me the money.". Engage the finance organization. Finance was on board at the company in our story.

Process 15

Process Six Sigma Finance Short-term 15

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

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. At meetings of the corporation's finance managers, Tim makes a point to spend time with lower-level staff members to establish a personal bond.

Execution 14

Execution Team Chief Financial Officer Finance 14

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 4, 2011

Roughly, I'd suggest that they're strategy, marketing, finance, and the rest of the drear, dismal, passionless stuff that makes most of us snooze through meetings and dread the arrival of Monday morning, dilberting our joint prosperity, perpetually disappointing our ever-more apathetic customers, and gleefully embezzling from the future.

Organization 15

Organization Finance Senge Long-term 15

Marshall Goldsmith

DECEMBER 6, 2010

A CEO asked me to coach his potential successor, the CFO. It didn't take long before I just felt that the CEO just didn't like the CFO. I brought it to his attention: "I just don't think you like the CFO." or to work on developing him as your successor, if you really don't want him to have the job?" the CEO told me. "If

CEO 118

CEO CFO Skills Open-book 118

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

And by forming a relationship with this person, you can develop that perspective too. Through this increased interaction, we developed a comfortable relationship. Developing this relationship definitely had a positive impact on my career. Although my boss wasn't interested in this topic, her boss was. Here are some suggestions.

Public Relations 15

Public Relations Human Resources CFO Career 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 4, 2012

By helping to fill this analytical void, CFOs can make it more likely that the market will develop expectations that are grounded in reality. Flexibility in Communications: Providing guidance also gives CFOs more leeway to discuss their company's outlook between earnings announcements.

CFO 11

CFO Metrics Price Depreciation 11

Harvard Business Review

JULY 31, 2017

In the traditional view of executive coaching, an executive, with her boss’s participation , takes personality assessments, receives 360-degree feedback , and creates and implements a development plan designed to address performance gaps, optimize her contribution, and prepare her for new responsibilities.

360-Degree Feedback 8

360-Degree Feedback Execution Real Estate Executive Coaching 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 25, 2014

This requires total transparency in the way individuals are assessed, developed, and promoted. They have to be prepared to accept honest feedback on their development needs. But Rohm and Haas wasn’t always like that. Mere words and policies are not sufficient. Tangible evidence is required.

Team 12

Team Diversity CFO TSR 12

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 10, 2015

Australia’s main CFO forum, the G100 , has shown interest in the topic and even published a paper offering broad support for integrated reporting, arguing that “corporate reporting reform is underway and CFOs should seize the opportunity to drive the reporting agenda.”

Human Capital 8

Human Capital CFO Banking Report 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

My experience with even the most successful global companies is that they’re between average and poor at developing future talent. They’re often not transparent about your real needs and vague about the most effective development options. Development matters. Leadership & Developing People Book.

Career 8

Career Chief Financial Officer Supply Chain Chief Information Officer 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

When I do get a name, it often differs depending on who I asked—a marketing executive points to one person, while finance identifies someone else. 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. That isn’t good.

Company 8

Company COO Information Technology CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

With a background in both strategy and finance, Sheila was an up-and-coming manager at a well-known consumer products company. She could leverage her past experience and use it as a springboard to continue her development. Here’s a case example.

Career 10

Career Examples Supply Chain CFO 10