CEO Insider

MARCH 6, 2022

Some social and business commentators and experts refer to our current time as the ‘age of entitlement’. Entitlement has always been present in our workforce–to some degree. Social norms have changed dramatically over the past few decades.

Career 98

Career Magazine Reference Chief Financial Officer 98

Tanveer Naseer

MAY 10, 2016

Moore asserts that diversity does not just refer to racial, gender or international differences but also includes introvert and extrovert personality types. Moore sees a slow movement by companies to provide areas where introverts can retreat – Cain’s book refers to them as “restorative niches” – during the day to work thoughtfully.

How To 100

How To Diversity CFO Education 100

Jesse Lyn Stoner Blog

MARCH 11, 2013

My friend and former Microsoft CFO Frank Gaudette (now deceased) used to say: “I reserve the right to wake up smarter every day.” Keep your copy close at hand as you will refer to it often! We let go of old dysfunctional habits and healthier patterns emerge, more adaptive and aligned with our core purpose, values and vision.

Self-aware 188

Self-aware Mission Statement CFO Open-book 188

Great Leadership By Dan

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

By "mass customization", I'm referring to the the need to address very unique leadership development needs for an organization's top executives, while at the same time, doing it in a consistent, measurable, effective, and scalable way that yields a strong return on investment.

Process 227

Process Execution CFO CEO 227

Tanveer Naseer

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Lars Sudmann, former CFO of Procter & Gamble Belgium, TEDx presenter, leadership and board advisor, and executive coach, believes that companies should provide consistent feedback to all of their employees. “We Feedback is an essential part of engaging employees.

Charan 229

Charan Attrition Morale Survey 229

Surviving Leadership

OCTOBER 29, 2018

I’ve jokingly referred to a past organization in past posts (rhymes with fish), and while yes…it was a very tough culture to work in, I learned a lot while I worked there. At this meeting, employees heard from the CEO, CHRO, General Counsel, COO, CFO, CMO, and any business leaders spearheading a major initiative.

CFO 58

CFO P&L Call Center COO 58

Strategy Driven

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

A Core Idea is sometimes referred to as an “elevator pitch.” I refer to this component as “the button” – that metric or objective that makes your stakeholder sit up and take notice. The CFO will care about profits. The CFO might be interested but would wonder how profitable those sales will be.

Metrics 50

Metrics CFO Chief Financial Officer Marketing 50

The Horizons Tracker

MARCH 15, 2020

The authors refer to such behaviors as ‘help seeking’ and they believe they are crucial to getting the founding team on board with the vision of the startup. Who would be CFO or COO? “To get others to feel like, ‘This startup is really ours,’ the team needs to have their fingerprints on the idea,” the researchers say. “Not

Team 87

Team Entrepreneur COO CFO 87

Building Personal Strength

MAY 7, 2010

She was referring to a front page article by staff writer David Saleh Rauf, entitled, "Business Whiz Has Rackspace Rocking." In 2000 he accepted a job as CFO at start-up Rackspace. My wife went straight to the Sunday (May 2, 2010) edition of the San Antonio Express-News , to see if her new article was published in the Travel section.

CEO 90

CEO Development CFO Banking 90

Mike Cardus

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Additionally Jackson now had to attend the Executive Briefing Meetings where the CEO, COO, CFO and all the General Mangers from the other Manufacturing areas of the plant met weekly to find solutions and update status on various projects. While adding value by guiding any or all of them into alternative paths when necessary. Resolution.

Case Study 147

Case Study COO Metrics Objective 147

The Empowered Buisness

JULY 14, 2015

For example, A successful CFO is likely to have such MAPs (Motivation and Attitudinal patterns) as — strong motivation toward procedures over options; a preference for solving problems over focus on goals; and a high past time orientation that drives focus on traditions, past experience and benchmarks. Email me with any questions.

Motivation 100

Motivation Leadership McClelland Long-term 100

The Idolbuster

JANUARY 15, 2013

As a point of reference, this represented 25% of the company’s projected revenue growth for the year.) Product development is always needed to make a new technology robust enough to work consistently in customer hands. But “ready for customers” is exactly what the CEO wanted to hear.

Biotechnology 41

Biotechnology Groupthink CFO Stress 41

Lead on Purpose

JULY 10, 2009

Their intellect—along with personality, skills, knowledge, character, integrity, and other things collectively referred to as “human life value”—create the true value in any organization. Too often we leave the worries and cares about money to the CFO’s office.

Succession 133

Succession CFO Ethics Taylorism 133

Building Personal Strength

MARCH 4, 2010

One force that strengthens relationships is a dynamic we refer to as loyalty. Forty years later, I googled him and discovered that he’s now the CFO for a big company and a benefactor in his community. They had transplanted their unique Italian village culture to create a close-knit community of caring relationships.

Loyalty 107

Loyalty Open-book CFO Restructuring 107

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 2, 2013

He was looking for help with what he referred to as his “toxic” executive team. Even the CEO was in the action, asking the Board to let him terminate the CFO without addressing the issues directly with him. One member of the team, the CFO, realized that he was contributing to the problem. ” he replied. Get in the game.

CFO 8

CFO Team Self-aware Learning-by-Doing 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

JANUARY 26, 2017

Yan Wang, the former CFO of VitalSmarts, didn’t survive Mao’s China by taking outlandish risks such as questioning those in positions of authority. As our CFO, she did impeccable work with the highest ethical standards. These are brief episodes of intense focus where we practice a skill under relatively real conditions.

Planning 8

Planning CFO Learning Curve Learning-by-Doing 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 29, 2014

An interview with the board of directors is standard for the CEO, CFO, and nonprofit Executive Director hiring processes, but the group interview approach is becoming more common for many other positions. I’m the mother of twins, and you’d be surprised at the number of times I’ve used that fact to build rapport. Build bridges.

Due Diligence 11

Due Diligence Reference CFO Workshop 11

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 17, 2015

To be sure, the press nailed Svanberg for an unfortunate reference to the “small” people , but his decisions started the turnaround for BP, which accelerated after the board appointed U.S.-born Coming out of that meeting, Svanberg pledged to create a $20 billion victim compensation fund and apologized to the American people.

CFO 8

CFO Crisis Mass Marketing IPO 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

When I spoke with a CFO about this recently, he said: "Rafi, the key is to not let a price hike become emotional to customers, because that's when they become irrational and ultimately leave.". Netflix stood firm on its pricing decision and its stock has since inched up to $124. There's enormous truth in that insight.

Price 13

Price Retail Press Release Banking 13

Great Leadership By Dan

NOVEMBER 26, 2014

Yes, in these many reports will be false alarms and non-emergencies; one CFO told me that someone actually ordered a pizza on his company''s hotline. I''ve often used a phrase with clients that I refer to as a "stop the presses" issue. Is your company prepared to "stop the presses" if and when a credible warning comes in?

CEO 240

CEO Compliance Organization Report 240

Harvard Business Review

JULY 25, 2017

Avery explains that it is also referred to by its acronym, MROI, or as return on marketing investment (ROMI). A CFO might just see marketing expenses walking out the door and not a corresponding build-up of cash flows and assets,” Avery explains. As a result, CFOs and CMOs are often at odds.

ROI 8

ROI Marketing Marketing Mix Short-term 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 20, 2018

It’s just as powerful when we read our own words about how incredibly well Marta led the meeting with the CFO back in February. By taking this approach, when the annual review rolls around, you have a year’s worth of evaluations to refer to, rather than defaulting to the latest news.

Performance Review 11

Performance Review Review How To CFO 11

Harvard Business Review

MAY 27, 2014

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

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. In the first month, five “winners” were announced and then immediately publicized on the Thomson Reuters internal web site.

Innovation 9

Innovation Metrics Christensen Workshop 9

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

JULY 27, 2012

Throughout the process, Bill was never allowed to meet with the decision maker, the CFO. Turn a C-Level Customer Into Your Most Valuable Reference. But the competitor matched the price and won the business, an outcome that had been preordained. Bill's effort was a waste of time for his firm. MORE ON SMARTER SALES.

Price 14

Price Chemicals Tactics CFO 14

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 19, 2012

Rare, also, would be the strategy consultant tapped for a CFO role at a Fortune 100. You'll also be able to lay out a credible track record of past successes in similar roles and perhaps even reference mutual contacts and influencers in your area of expertise. That's because over time, the generalists become specialists, too.

Career 15

Career Long-term Christensen CFO 15

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

If a company wanted to use astrology to pick a Scorpio instead of a Libra as the new CFO, there wouldn’t be any legal risks to doing so (as long as there wasn’t any correlation between astrological sign and candidates’ membership in “protected” classes of people).

Pre-Employment Screening 8

Pre-Employment Screening Human Resources How To CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 12, 2013

If a company wanted to use astrology to pick a Scorpio instead of a Libra as the new CFO, there wouldn''t be any legal risks to doing so (as long as there wasn''t any correlation between astrological sign and candidates'' membership in "protected" classes of people). Keep in mind that some candidates may be tempted to "game" the results.

Pre-Employment Screening 8

Pre-Employment Screening Human Resources How To CFO 8

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 6, 2011

Two years later the company was the poster child for reengineering success — the subject of speeches, a Harvard Business School case study, articles, and book references. Process champions must have them ready for the day when the CEO or CFO effectively says, "Show me the money.". What happened? Engage the finance organization.

Process 15

Process Six Sigma Finance Short-term 15

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 16, 2016

Betty’s draft budget is due to the CFO first thing tomorrow morning, so she sends Amit a meeting request to discuss what’s going on. She had no idea what he was referring to, but she didn’t stop him; instead, she asked what the consequences had been. Amit accepts but shows up 15 minutes late.

How To 8

How To Budgeting CFO Open-book 8

Harvard Business Review

MAY 1, 2011

My colleagues refer to this as the Growth Model (although it seems more an aspiration than a plan). I credit that human capital bump for a wide-ranging and successful business career, one that included stints as CFO, GM, entrepreneur, and consultant. Third, I heard that two of our graduates are presently working in low-skill jobs.

Education 16

Education Human Capital Class CFO 16

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

If you want to be a chief financial officer (CFO), identify five CFOs who you admire or who are well regarded in your industry. The map should be focused and realistic — a reference sheet that you’ll use regularly to plan your growth and assess your progress. Identify experts inside and outside your company.

Career 8

Career Chief Financial Officer Supply Chain Chief Information Officer 8

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 13, 2017

Troy’s phone buzzed, and he saw it was an e-mail from Meena Nair, Otto’s CFO. In an eloquent argument for retaining all 21 brands, she referred to the Four Seasons and Regent merger. He needed to streamline his wardrobe to attend a meeting where he would work out how to do the same with Otto’s brands.

Hotels 8

Hotels Case Study Brand Price 8

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 25, 2014

she asked, referring to a coffee shop just a few blocks from the office. Later that day Guy Renou, BrainGame’s CFO, sat down in Lena’s office. Last I checked, movements didn’t have a CEO or CFO.”. Or are we going to bring in some hired guns to help us grow?”. Too Many Risks. Klara caught Lena’s arm on the way out of the meeting.

Company 9

Company CFO Proposal Engineering 9