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. Andrew Cravenho is the CEO of CBAC Funding, an innovative invoice finance company.

Charisma 222

Charisma Leadership CFO Learning-by-Doing 222

In the CEO Afterlife

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

The day the Jacobs Suchard (now part of Kraft Foods ) Board of Directors promoted me to the C-Suite, they strongly suggested I align myself with the CFO. My regret is that I did not free up my other hip for Human Resources, a group of eager young managers at the rear of the functional pecking order. Product design is important.

CEO 162

CEO CFO Human Resources Real Estate 162

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.

Blog 313

Blog Brand CEO Consultative 313

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 22, 2010

I think you’ll find that your view of the world will change dramatically when you rely upon your own observations, as opposed to what you read in a management report, or what you hear third or fourth hand in a meeting. The arrogant CEO doesn’t value the input of line and staff management.

Blog 417

Blog Gordon CEO Consultative 417

Harvard Business Review

JULY 25, 2016

Commentators and researchers have focused on the crucial role of the CEO in leading effective corporate action to promote high performance, high integrity , and sound risk management. This critical alliance needs and deserves much greater analysis and application.

CFO 8

CFO Chief Financial Officer Compliance Due Diligence 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 11, 2016

The 1990s saw the rise of the strategic CFO, and more recently many companies have created a chief strategy officer (CSO) position. Such friction is destructive — and a huge missed opportunity, because the CFO and the strategy head are far more effective when they collaborate. Tapping the most promising growth spots.

Strategy 8

Strategy CFO Finance Short-term 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 23, 2013

Because no one is managing the store. The day-to-day financial activity within the organization is then executed by management and staff, who shoulder the responsibility — delegated to them by the enterprise as part of their job — to account for funds, both incoming and outgoing.

CIO 8

CIO CFO Zero Based Budgeting Chief Technology Officer 8

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 15, 2016

Investors are increasingly seeking firms with long-term growth strategies, rather than ones focused on managing short-term earnings to boost the stock price. This, in turn, is triggering a shift in the perceived role of the CFO — from bean counters to planters of seed corn. Redefining the CFO role.

Short-term 8

Short-term Long-term CFO Wiseman 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

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

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 21, 2011

Forced to do more with much less, the small businesses that have managed to survive and even thrive during these tough times have recognized one important factor: You can’t always compete on price, but you can compete on service. economy is still in a deep funk, and for many small business owners that means business isn’t exactly booming.

Learning-by-Doing 62

Learning-by-Doing Price Bottom-up Finance 62

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. Most of the input was neutral, which was to be expected.

Case Study 13

Case Study Team CFO Merchandising 13

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

Virtually all leaders espouse the benefits of a strong management team. These differences in philosophy and approach frequently differentiate those who advance to and succeed at the executive level — and those who stay in the ranks of middle management. However, they use starkly different levers to build one. Don't get me wrong.

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

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 6, 2011

In this case, the answers were not there, the effort was stopped, and a new management team took over. The management team was running short of patience for results and wanted me to help them bring changes to fruition. Process champions must have them ready for the day when the CEO or CFO effectively says, "Show me the money.".

Process 14

Process Six Sigma Finance Short-term 14

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 30, 2015

You’ve got an idea for a new product line, a way to revamp your inventory management system, or a piece of equipment that will make your work easier. “At most companies, the cost of capital is a mechanical calculation done by the finance people. Finance & Accounting Tool. Babo Schokker. Joe Knight.

Cost of Capital 8

Cost of Capital Cost Finance Discount 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

But does your manager's manager know what you've done recently? Your boss's boss has a broader perspective on your organization than you (or your boss), and can see more of what's coming down the pike — be it new products or possible new assignments. What does he think of you? Increase your overall exposure.

Public Relations 15

Public Relations Human Resources CFO Career 15

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 5, 2016

Under this financing structure, the company contracts to buy kilowatts, not the turbines and panels. They had framing conversations with the CEO and CFO early on to discuss any financial or operational challenges. This allowed the company to claim carbon-neutral status for Texas-made products, a nice and strategic marketing win.

Energy 8

Energy Industry Finance CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 17, 2015

This comes at a significant financial and productivity cost to all organizations, as demonstrated by research in corporate settings : Onboarding an external hire can cost up to twice the departing executive’s salary, and the time it takes for an external hire to become productive is twice as long as for someone hired from within.

Development 8

Development Mentor COO CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

Managers often think about their careers in terms of winning and losing. With a background in both strategy and finance, Sheila was an up-and-coming manager at a well-known consumer products company. Winners ascend the corporate ladder and get the praise, recognition, bonuses, and top jobs. Here’s a case example.

Career 10

Career Examples Supply Chain CFO 10

Harvard Business Review

MAY 27, 2014

They do, however, have to be managed intelligently. The abridged version is that Palmisano and then-CFO Mark Loughridge came up with what they called the “investor model” or the “road map” — a strategic plan complete with multi-year goals for investment, revenue growth, and earnings growth that they asked investors to judge them by.

Stage-Gate 9

Stage-Gate Strategic Planning Welch CFO 9

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 18, 2018

These intense work styles are often celebrated as the only way to get to the top and be a super-productive leader. Indeed, surveys show that managers and executives describe the “ideal worker” as someone with no personal life or caregiving responsibilities. “But weren’t sure how.” “We kept trying.

Banking 15

Banking Conference CEO Bottom-up 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 4, 2012

Although the empirical evidence is mixed, this argument has intuitive logic: Because investors abhor uncertainty, knowing management's expectations is a valuable data point that can strengthen their confidence in the investment. After weighing the pros and cons, I come down on the side of not providing guidance.

CFO 11

CFO Metrics Price Depreciation 11

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

From a business strategist who can appear aloof and dismissive of those with less intellectual horsepower, to a general manager who aligns and inspires her region through personal connections and demonstrates genuine care for people. Management experiences grow generic capabilities that are valuable to all managers, no matter their function.

Career 8

Career Chief Financial Officer Supply Chain Chief Information Officer 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 23, 2012

For highly regulated sectors like finance, social media can be a legal minefield. Just ask Gene Morphis, ex-CFO of clothing retailer Francesca's. Archiving leaders include Arkovi , Smarsh , and Global Relay , whose products enable searching stored communications by keywords, date, and other variables across different social networks.

Compliance 15

Compliance Media Compliance Officer Policies 15

Harvard Business Review

JULY 27, 2012

The potential customer's VP of finance contacted Bill and asked him to prepare a proposal for a multimillion-dollar initiative. Throughout the process, Bill was never allowed to meet with the decision maker, the CFO. The chemical firm's CEO asked her to prepare a bid for a new production line that the buyer needed to install quickly.

Price 14

Price Chemicals Tactics CFO 14

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 11, 2018

The digital work crisis is this unnerving pace of technological change, complex global networks, and lists product and service variation in almost infinite work streams, a whole tone of digital distractions, and fundamental access to more data than humans can handle. And this is the digital work crisis. Think about that, Angelia.

Content 8

Content Crisis Apparel Learning-by-Doing 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 11, 2017

Your #1 focus at this stage is product-market fit. Customers are integral to this process because they provide feedback, and every member of your team should be answering support requests, meeting with customers, and thinking about how to build a product that suits the needs of the market. What to do. What not to do. What to do.

Metrics 13

Metrics Engineering Efficiency Learning-by-Doing 13

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

Many people were willing to work for free because they believed in his mission: to create positive, nonviolent, commercially viable products that reward empathy and caring rather than aggression and revenge. You forgot one important figure, Klaus,” Rutger Ekberg, the head of product development, said with a smile. Everyone laughed.

Company 9

Company CFO Proposal Engineering 9

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 10, 2013

The chief financial officer (CFO) role rose to prominence in the mid -1980’s as pressures for value management and more transparent investor relations gained traction. Today, as the power of data and analytics profoundly alters the business landscape, companies once again may need more top-management muscle.

Chief Financial Officer 8

Chief Financial Officer Information Technology Metrics CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Your CFO and finance team can take a leadership role here. Unless line managers and finance really believe in the link between customer feedback and business outcomes, your incentive system won't last long. The company's managers felt helpless and frustrated. Several managers advocated dropping the system.

Incentives 10

Incentives Sample Customer Loyalty Metrics 10

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 15, 2013

They resist getting their hands dirty alongside the CIO, even though many of them will readily get down into the mud of a balance sheet with the CFO or strategize the details of global brand issues with the CMO. Boards should require that CEO candidates demonstrate not just knowledge of finance and marketing but also a technology aptitude.

CEO 8

CEO CIO Technology CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 11, 2013

When the well-known hedge fund manager and short-seller Jeremiah Hughes first put Terranola in the spotlight, issuing ominous warnings about unsold products, a looming patent expiration, and flawed growth projections, the considered judgment of the executive team was to do nothing. “I Investors adored the Terranola story.

Case Study 8

Case Study CFO Hedge PR 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

The CEO leaves a meeting at the office with the CFO, his daughter, and he goes home to her mother, his wife and joint owner of the business. Executives’ Biggest Productivity Challenges, Solved. They build discussion rooms – not silos – and teach others to work within the spaces that they’ve created. The crocodile brain.

How To 8

How To CFO Execution Learning-by-Doing 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

Having perceived the raise as a gift, they wanted to reciprocate, and they did — with higher productivity. A study of CFO surveys shows that corporate financial professionals are way too sure of their ability to predict the future. In the case of personal finance guru Dave Ramsey, the answer is "probably not." But do they?

CFO 8

CFO Survey Globalization Document 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 14, 2015

The company’s executives said that to help finance the plan, McDonald’s would increase refranchising (turning company-owned restaurants into franchises), take on more debt (even at the risk of lowering its bond rating ), and find $300 million to cut in general and administrative expenses.

Price 8

Price Franchising Short-term CFO 8