Harvard Business Review

JULY 11, 2012

No, Minow is suggesting that CFO essentially work for the audit committee. As she puts it, when she's evaluating a company, "the most important thing I look for in a CFO is someone who reports directly to the audit committee, because what I want is a CFO who is absolutely clear that his or her job depends on telling the truth to the board.".

CFO 13

CFO Committee GAAP Proposal 13

Coaching Tip

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

Think about the Boeing Engineer evaluating a GE jet engine for a new airplane…a CIO evaluating a new Enterprise Resource Planning System software provider…or a CFO reviewing audit firms. . Domain knowledge — The B2B buyer has the expertise and experience in the offering being considered.

B2C 95

B2C B2B Marketing CIO 95

Persuasive Powerhouse

JULY 7, 2010

The CFO owns a couple. Mary Jo Asmus A former executive in a Fortune 100 company, I own and operate a leadership solutions firm called Aspire Collaborative Services. An enterprise business model was developed that takes in all the processes across all the business areas. Thanks for sharing this one.

Greenleaf 200

Greenleaf Maslow Goal Goleman 200

Lead Change Blog

NOVEMBER 7, 2016

As I was reviewing this month’s submissions to the Leadership Development Carnival, I was wishing we could all get together in a room to exchange these ideas more deeply and directly. In this post, Virtual CFO Jon Verbeck explains the important parts of a financial dashboard for your company. Find Jon on Twitter at @jonverbeck1.

Leadership Development 201

Leadership Development Development Leadership 360-Degree Feedback 201

CO2

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

They can be useful for you, your advisors/coaches, and board members in discussing and reviewing the readiness of your organization. Org charts can be arranged by function, process, product, market, customer, geographic, matrix, or a combination approach. These charts tell a more interesting and complex story.

Leadership Styles 87

Leadership Styles COO Learning-by-Doing Planning 87

CO2

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

They can be useful for you, your advisors/coaches, and board members in discussing and reviewing the readiness of your organization. Org charts can be arranged by function, process, product, market, customer, geographic, matrix, or a combination approach. These charts tell a more interesting and complex story.

Leadership Styles 78

Leadership Styles COO Learning-by-Doing Planning 78

Lead on Purpose

JULY 10, 2009

in the 1980s, put it this way: “In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product and profits. With the right ‘business operations’ in place, your company will achieve success: People: In any company or organization, the real assets are the people. People come first.&#

Succession 133

Succession CFO Ethics Taylorism 133

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

I Give This Blurb 3 Stars Operation Clean Turf and the War on Fake Yelp Reviews Businessweek Were the 19 companies accused of commissioning fake online reviews the only firms out there engaged in this nefarious practice? Federal Trade Commission says 15% to 20% of all reader reviews might be fake. Not likely.

Review 8

Review CFO PR Analysis 8

Marshall Goldsmith

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Regular contributor to Harvard Business Review. a holding company that operates seven distinct business. Operations Group Baring Private Equity. Pawel Motyl – Formerly CEO (ICAN Institute) – Harvard Business Review Poland publishing and executive education. million times. Former CEOs / Advisors.

Executive Coaching 70

Executive Coaching CEO Magazine Banking 70

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 24, 2013

We asked Square''s CFO and Operations Lead, Sarah Friar , for perspectives on this technology, what it means for marketers, and how to manage in the world of mobile innovation. With over 3 million users, Square processes more than $15 billion in transactions annually. Below is an edited version of our conversation.

CFO 8

CFO Loyalty Technology Definition 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 26, 2011

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. CFO Tim Olson of ThedaCare , a healthcare system in Wisconsin, went through a similar conversion. Then I became an advocate. Now I know that.".

Finance 11

Finance CFO Budgeting Operations 11

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 22, 2018

Water, no ice, please,” said Noelle Freeman, the CFO of Franklin Climate Systems. Editor's Note This fictionalized case study will appear in a forthcoming issue of Harvard Business Review, along with commentary from experts and readers. As CFO, Noelle was, of course, concerned about the numbers. Illustration by James Yang.

Case Study 13

Case Study CFO Bottom-up Operations 13

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 2, 2017

Every organization has a slightly different framework of expected experience, but I like to look at this through the lens of strategy and operations. 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. Competition for top slots is intense.

CFO 8

CFO How To CIO Finance 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 8, 2018

However, many investors seem to have concluded that the most successful companies with tens of billions of dollars of valuation today could never have justified their valuation at the start of their operation based on discounted cash flow. So, investors, and therefore managers, might be adjusting their approach to risk accordingly.

Report 8

Report GAAP Net Present Value CFO 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 12

CFO Charan Intangible Assets Human Resources 12

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 21, 2012

For example, in the sessions we use a "picture the future" exercise: it's 2014 and the Harvard Business Review is writing an article about how successful we've been, and we brainstorm about what we need to do now to achieve that picture. We meet every morning at 8:30 outside my office and review my board in administration.

Brainstorming 15

Brainstorming CFO Innovation Energy 15

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. As the CMO, I can say that a big part of trusting Gene (CFO) was that he not only demonstrated a passion for marketing, but a genuine interest in helping our department with his finance expertise.

CFO 8

CFO Advertising Finance Marketing 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 18, 2018

The feedback in the 360-degree reviews was supposed to be anonymous. Lance was struck by what he saw in CFO Damon Ewen’s file. ” Editor's Note This fictionalized case study will appear in a forthcoming issue of Harvard Business Review, along with commentary from experts and readers. kuritafsheen/Getty Images.

Case Study 14

Case Study Team CFO Merchandising 14

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 13, 2011

Then the family's CFO, my wife, who also happens to be a CPA, demanded to know their TCO. cost of improving the operating systems; unfortunately, the new OS could not be loaded from the internal CD drive and required an external DVD player, which cost $120. The CFO's skepticism was proved correct, and I lost all credibility.

Technology 15

Technology CIO CFO TCO 15

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

AUGUST 29, 2011

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. They need to see that you operate by principles. He rallied friends who sent emails to prominent customers about his grievance.

CFO 15

CFO Chief Financial Officer Cooper Learning-by-Doing 15

Harvard Business Review

JULY 8, 2013

Certainly we know that heads of finance and HR tend to move around a lot more because the skills are very transferrable, and in fact it looks better for an HR executive or CFO to show a breadth of industry. Insiders are much more likely to replace the COO, for instance, while outsiders are more likely to replace the CFO.

CEO 10

CEO CFO COO Industry 10

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

DECEMBER 25, 2014

In the case of Rohm and Haas this process began in earnest in 1985 with the appointment of a Greek national, Dr. Basil Vassilou, to head our operations in Europe; followed by a Cuban, Henri Martinez, heading our Latin American operations starting in 1988; an Indian American (myself) heading up Asia Pacific operations in 1993.

Team 12

Team Diversity CFO TSR 12

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 11, 2018

a cataract operation can cost $200 or less, compared with $3,500 in the U.S. In a 2010 review of its purchasing strategy, Ascension concluded that it didn’t really have an effective purchasing strategy at all. Most of its hospitals were still buying from their own legacy suppliers, with whom they had little leverage.

Health Care 8

Health Care Insurance Cost Price 8

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 23, 2015

They’re essentially asking the company to take the cash it has generated through its business operations and spend it on something with an uncertain future return. Several years ago, when I was serving as the company’s CFO, one of founders came to me and said, “Joe, I would like to buy a new three-dimensional printer.”

Finance 8

Finance NPV CFO ROI 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 31, 2017

These are not the foundations of a proper science that verifies knowledge through experiment and replication of findings in peer-reviewed studies. The issue is that they operate as artisans, not scientists. This makes it difficult to justify investment in change management with the rigor that a data-driven CEO or CFO might expect.

Marketing 8

Marketing Root Cause Analysis Management Supply Chain 8

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 19, 2018

There was a need to refocus the management team on reducing costs, targeting opportunities based on their profit rather than their growth potential, and systematically reviewing all parts of the business for any other opportunities to improve profitability. Like Wilson, Anderson was able to lead the senior team.

Strategy 8

Strategy Chief Financial Officer Short-term Chief Information Officer 8

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 2, 2014

The teams with the most compelling ideas were given an opportunity to present and defend their idea to the innovation investment committee, which included the CEO, CFO, and a few other senior executives. product vs. operational) and referenced the same stages (e.g. ideation” and “rapid prototyping”).

Innovation 9

Innovation Metrics Christensen Workshop 9

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 13, 2012

Many people assume it's all about moving to a "pay-as-you-go" (PAYG) model and while this is certainly a big piece of it, it also involves operating versus capital expenses, subscriptions to services, and customers paying for outcomes (not technology). Why should a toy or cosmetics company own and operate multiple data centers?

CFO 15

CFO Operations Budgeting Technology 15

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 28, 2015

If it’s all about the operations then you lose sight of the customer. Rather than measuring marketing KPIs or operations KPIs, focus instead on the more customer-oriented journey KPIs, such as lifetime margin. Once the drivers of the costs of the journey are understood, marketing can work with operations to address them.

COO 8

COO Planning Metrics Call Center 8

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Here's an example*: Peter was the divisional CFO for the consumer unit of a global products company. In our case, Peter promoted one of his people to be the CFO, but reassigned some of his previous responsibilities to others. When Sarah left, Operations also was reconfigured.

Management 13

Management Restructuring CFO Operations 13

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 5, 2018

As soon as you step into a top position at a company that needs to significantly improve the way it operates, there’s pressure to get off to a quick start. At his 16-month mark, as he prepared for his performance review, Greg wondered how big his bonus would be and when he’d be named CEO.

Supply Chain 12

Supply Chain CEO Kahneman Self-aware 12

Harvard Business Review

MAY 3, 2017

Zabeen Hirji, CHRO at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), grew up in retail banking and operations management roles before moving into HR. “I was surprised by how much I personally enjoyed running the HR function versus taking on a CFO role,” said Reses.

Quinn 13

Quinn Execution CFO Forrester 13

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 11, 2011

CFO Ric Magnuson says that the change has forced managers to develop a much better understanding of the work in their departments, particularly which activities truly matter. Determining what operational changes to make is difficult and often accomplished through trial and error. It isn't to sit in their offices reviewing budgets.

Budgeting 12

Budgeting Chief Financial Officer Cost CFO 12

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 6, 2011

Lest you get too comfortable, you might want to consider the cautionary tale of a company whose program received rave reviews while in progress, only to fail spectacularly. Process champions must have them ready for the day when the CEO or CFO effectively says, "Show me the money.". The system must be reviewed and validated by finance.

Process 15

Process Six Sigma Finance Short-term 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 28, 2018

After digesting all of this data, Albert identified and bought more than 6,400 keywords to improve performance across RedBalloon campaigns in the first 24 hours of operation. As a result, the conversion rate from Facebook campaigns managed by Albert increased by 750% in Albert’s first year of operation. Not Albert.

Retail 8

Retail Audience Budgeting Advertising 8