Am I alone in wondering if the many references and articles concerning the CFO’s emerging role as a “trusted advisor” is more hype than reality?
Increasingly, I read articles and research studies alleging this emerging CFO role to be actually happening. In an article written by Gianni Giacomelli, senior vice-president at Genpact, titled “Can a CFO Innovate?” he states:
Enterprise and corporate performance management (EPM/CPM) methods embedded with business analytics are a hot topic. Will they stay hot? Or are they a business improvement fad, like the quality control circles in the 1980s? My bet is these methods are keepers. Why? It is for many reasons. A major one is the EPM/CPM methods are so fundamental to an organization’s health.
Enjoy this series of shorts on Leadership from Jim.
Among the leaders I work with—all very senior and all deeply experienced—nearly all bemoan (in their own ways) how “long everything takes.”
SPEED BUMP: It doesn’t need to take so long.
We’re awash with stories about tech companies: they “fail fast,” they try and repair, they’re agile, they have bias toward action, and so on. These are all empty phrases. Yes, smaller, less established organizations can experiment sooner, try more, etc. But what if we’re not a small, exploding tech organization? Does time to decision matter?
Pat Gray, the Operation Manager at ABC Company, a producer of widgets, has analyzed sales projections for the next several years and has determined the only way production can keep up with sales is to build a new plant. Accordingly, Pat is in the process of preparing a Capital Investment Analysis for presentation to the Executive Team. The company competes in the food processing industry.
You got “The Call”.
Someone wants to buy your company!
You’re flattered and excited. You might even be thinking about selling, and you want to hear what they have to say.
STOP!
