CFO Bookshelf

CFO Bookshelf welcomed back CFO Dive's, Jane Thier to talk about the biggest headlines in 2021.We also talked about the stories we'll be reading about in the second half. Jane also told us the three CFOs she'd like to interview and the one company she's keeping an eye on.

Guest host Shaefer Schuetz interviews Mark Gandy about the 60 books he's read or listened to during the first half of 2021.Mark shares his favorite five books and provides another half dozen or so books as honorable mentions.

From serving a term as a Missouri Senator to serving a year in prison, Mr. Smith Goes to Prison was one of my favorite books in 2015.After watching College Behind Bars on Netflix this winter, I wanted to get Jeff Smith's input on how to reduce recidivism within the prison system. We also talked about the comparisons of an IVY League MBA with the entrepreneurial activities behind prison walls.

Before taking the position as the IRS Commissioner, a reporter asked Charles Rossotti, "Were you ever in the military, and if you were, did you volunteer for a suicide mission?"Before running the IRS from 1997 to 2002, Rossotti was the co-founder, former chairman, and CEO of American Management Systems, Inc.In this episode, we look at what Charles did to help turn around that beleaguered agency.

He's been called the grandfather of gamification. He's also the best-selling author of The Game of Work and Scorekeeping for Success.Behind his back, I'm calling Chuck Coonradt the owner, general manager, and MVP head coach of The Game of Work who is a Hall of Famer.

You probably know about the best-selling book entitled American Icon which explains how an outsider turned around an ailing automotive company.But what set Alan Mulally apart from any other CEO? Why didn't he bring his Boeing managers to Ford with him? Is he as humble as we see him in the many interviews he conducts?Bryce Hoffman is the author of American Icon, and we learn more about this fascinating CEO along with his newest book about red team thinking. 

My favorite book about OKRs is Radical Focus by Christina Wodtke. Christina recently updated her book with a second edition which is the topic in this episode. We also talk about her dream job at Stanford University, why OKRs are not for every business, why some CEOs go wrong with OKRs, and why having a healthy culture is the starting point for implementing OKRs of any scale.

Geraldine Carter is a consultant to small CPA firms around the country, and her message is niching down and burying the billable hour by implementing value pricing.Geraldine is also the host of the Smart Strategy for CPA's podcast. But her message is not unique for CPA firms - it's universal - all professional services firms can gain meaningful insights from Geraldine's expertise.

While Simon Wardley is the creator of the visual strategy mapping construct called Wardley Mapping, I consider Ben Mosior one of the greatest teachers of this framework.In this show, we discuss how to get started with Wardley Mapping and the mindset to stick with it. 

The host of CFO Bookshelf bumped into Simon Wardley's writing on mapping strategy several years ago, and he couldn't put his content down.In this conversation, we talk about the strategy circle, the OODA loop, the 'why' of purpose, doctrine, and many other key concepts related to Wardley Mapping.