CFO Bookshelf

What can any business or financial leader learn from a twenty-year vet in the fire service?I'm now calling John Cuomo the John Maxwell for firefighters and other public safety officials based on his book, Leadership Refined by Fire.John has always been interested in leadership and lifelong learning, and his book is full of stories, inspiration, and big ideas that can be applied to any playing field. He ends his book on mental health, specifically PTSD, the last topic we address in this conversation.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

As a financial expert, could you estimate the cost savings in the U.S. alone through the country's use of daylight savings time?Benjamin Franklin's estimates in 1784 yielded about $200 million in savings in today's dollars if people lived their days by making the best use of daylight.David Prerau is the leading expert on daylight savings time, and his book, Seize the Daylight, explores not just the history of DST, but also the other two forms of artificial time--Greenwich Mean Time and the introduction of time zones.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

I love investment books. It's a topic I could talk about for hours if allowed.I also started listening to the podcast Investing by the Books produced by the Nordic investment banker Redeye. The hosts are Eddie Palmgren and Niklas Sävås, and they are great. Both are lifelong learners and they love books on investing.In this show, we're going to talk about the best investment books that Eddie and Niklas have ever read. We'll find out their favorite book about Buffett. We'll also get more insights on Mr. Market, durable businesses with a competitive advantage, and the Ackman Paradox.Important Links:Investing by the Books podcastRedeyeLeadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Gordon was an IT professional who took lifelong learning seriously. He joined a public utility district (PUD) because it stood for collaboration, communication, and support. Those core values at the PUD started deteriorating as a new leader focused on personal gain and power pushed for a new $8 million ERP solution without his most important team members to manage the implementation.Gordon Graham is the author of The Intrepid Brotherhood, which provides the story leading up to the day he was pushed out of the organization. The final chapters reveal the jury's verdict on Gordon's termination.This is a business book without trying to be like one. Readers will learn how not to manage an ERP implementation. We learn how easily corporate governance at the board level can fall apart. We also gain unique leadership and ethical insights from an IT professional's viewpoint.Show Notes to EpisodeLeadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

John Seddon is the founder of The Vanguard Method and is the author of Beyond Command and Control.In this conversation we find out which action is worse in business, commanding or controlling. John also explains demand failure, break-fix systems, and the destructive nature of budget management and arbitrary targets.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Devin Durrant is the author of The Values Delta - A Small and Simple Way to Make a Positive Difference in Your Personal and Professional Life.Durrant's book is not about corporate values but personal core values, and it's a fast, easy-to-read guide that's instructive and inspiring with practical business applications too.In this conversation, this former NBA player reveals three simple questions that can lead to transformation in our personal and professional lives.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Gaining media attention may not be an ongoing goal for many growing businesses. However, a former TV host and Emmy-award winner in consumer reporting explains that if we can pitch the media effectively, we can sell anything to anyone.Katrina Cravy is the author of On Air: Insider Secrets to Attract the Media and Get Free Publicity. This easy-to-read book also has far-reaching applications, for presentations, pitches of any type, and YouTube videos.This fast-paced conversation includes Katrina's impactful H.A.V.E. formula, the power pose, the seven-second rule, killer-filler words, and much more.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

When we do our weekly shopping at the grocery store, finding products is relatively easy because of the way food items are grouped throughout the aisles. That's the starting point for understanding category design in any business setting.The authors of Play Bigger did not invent category design, but these gifted marketers gave this term and its underlying disciplines a name by studying more than five thousand businesses.In this conversation, co-author Al Ramadan explains what category design along with some of the book's biggest ideas: the 6-10 rule, points of view, and different vs. better.You'll also hear why Mark believes this book can be a replacement for strategic planning and why he loves chapter 10 of Play Bigger.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Output, Outcomes, Impact. Those are three strong words that seemingly go well together in any context. But is there a clear difference in each term?Josh Seiden is the author of Outcomes Over Output, and he provides one of the best definitions of outcomes I have ever heard--a change in customer behavior that leads to better business results.In this conversation, we learn how to apply outcomes-based thinking in any business environment along with hearing about a case study that ended in positive results when applying the philosophies in this book.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

I've always assumed that great financial modelers have deep backgrounds in either corporate finance or accounting. That's not the case for Lyndsey Weber who is the Senior Solutions Consultant at Quantrix.Lyndsey's degree is in engineering management from one of the top engineering programs in the country. She started her career at ExxonMobil where she was a supply chain data analyst and an S&OP supervisor.After some three years, she had an itch for pivoting her career into PreSales, a story I find unique, fascinating, and informative.In this conversation, we learn the steps that Lyndsey took to prep, investigate, and apply for positions in PreSales.Leadership Lessons From The Great BooksUnderstanding great literature is better than trying to read and understand (yet)...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify