What does the CEO want from their CFO? A true business partner, a champion of continuous improvement, will part company with toxic direct reports and an individual who develops strong partnerships with the company’s business leaders. What do boards want from the CFO? Independence, integrity and candor. No surprises.
Do you trust your team to ‘go for it’ like Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni?
The level of trust between Sirianni and Jalen reminds me of the trust between Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Nick Foles when, during the 2018 Super Bowl, Foles ran the “Philly Special,” a play forever burned into the minds of Philadelphia sports fans.
ESG principles help ensure long-term business sustainability
As leaders, we need to treat our customers, employees, suppliers and communities in the right way and operate our companies in an ethical manner. This is how to ensure sustainability and maximize shareholder returns over the long term.
Advance your career by being an effective meeting participant
Participating effectively in meetings is your opportunity to demonstrate your ability to collaborate with people above and below you in an organization which will help you advance in your career. Take this opportunity.
Ask yourself this question before resigning
Individuals who consider joining the “Great Resignation” must first ask themselves this question: “Should I work somewhere else, start my own business or retire?”
Want to differentiate your business? Take Warren Buffett’s advice
As a business leader, your holy grail should be to differentiate your business so that customers and clients will want to buy from you rather than your competitors. Quoting Warren Buffett, “You will have a hard time finding a person who has had a wonderful experience who isn’t going to come back.
How to thrive in a politically charged corporate environment
How can you thrive in a political environment? Meet your commitments to others. Build trust with your peers. Develop alliances. Keep your adversaries close. Build political capital. Most importantly, do your job and achieve results, and let those results speak for themselves.
Leaders can learn from those they lead
Many leaders don’t realize they can learn not only from direct reports, but from anyone in their organization, even hourly workers on the factory floor. They have a different perspective. They are not jaded by past failures or stuck in old paradigms. They don’t know that things can’t be done.
Is invasive tracking of worker productivity returning us to sweatshops of the past?
Invasive monitoring of employee productivity is the antithesis of continuous improvement, which empowers employees and helps them develop a sense of ownership in what they do. A workforce that participates in setting their metrics and improving workflow processes will outperform a workforce treated like cogs in a wheel.
To improve Philadelphia public schools, empower teachers and provide them with more resources
As the new superintendent of the Philadelphia School District, Tony Watlington faces many issues that need to be addressed. In addition to the adequacy of teacher pay and the difficulty in hiring teachers to fill classroom vacancies, I would hope that the transition teams he appointed will focus on four areas.
What Ukrainian non-commissioned officers can teach us about leadership
Effective leaders know to push down decision-making to the lowest possible level in their organization, as the Ukrainian military does. You want to hire people who will take the initiative. Having decision-makers throughout the organization owning their results is much more effective than top-down command and control.
How to differentiate your company from its competition
When going up against a competitor, you want them to think, “Oh no. Not those guys!” That’s how good you want to be. That’s how you win business in a competitive marketplace.