Many executives have no problem reprimanding a supplier for doing a poor job. They can easily pick up the phone and complain: “Your shipment arrived two days late and cost our company $10,000 in lost sales. What are you going to do about it?” But that same executive may agonize about how to address a performance issue with a subordinate. But hoping the problem will eventually go away is just […]
If you’re a corporate CIO or aspiring to move up from IT into the C-suite, strong translation skills are imperative. That’s means being able to explain the latest technology programs and initiatives in terms that business and financial executives will understand and support. Like all professional disciplines, IT has its own language, filled with jargons and acronyms that other techies understand but are largely incomprehensible to people outside the technology […]
When LeBron James entered the National Basketball Association a decade ago, he had enough raw athletic talent to be considered the potential heir to Michael Jordan. He began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he carried his team to the 2007 conference final but faced criticism about his mental toughness and judgment, particularly after his 2010 nationally televised decision to leave Cleveland and join the Miami Heat. Since then, […]
How To Make the Switch Lisa Thompson, Managing Director, Professional Services In this employment marketplace, many senior executives are facing weighty decisions in their career paths, including whether to make a switch to an entirely different industry. This decision can be either voluntary, such as when an executive is no longer challenged in the industry he or she has been in for years, or involuntary, due to changing market or […]
Years ago, a chief financial officer was the executive responsible for a company’s financial and shareholder reporting responsibilities. Today, this financial aspect is but one small part of a much broader scope of responsibilities. CFOs have become strategy setters and enforcers who are balancing complex regulations, global competition, technology, internal talent and much more. They are expected to understand not just accounting and finance, but their company’s products, services, […]
During the recent “Great Recession,” many companies adopted a conservative operational strategy. Facing declining demand and slowing revenues, they looked inward: reducing operational costs, delaying capital investments and focusing on balance sheet management. In that challenging global environment, strong chief operating officers (COOs) and chief financial officers (CFOs) played leading roles in keeping their companies afloat. Now that economic growth has resumed, particularly in emerging markets, many companies are embarking […]
