Our societal and personal narratives on our aging are at odds. Are we bored or content, selfish or stewards, irrelevant or essential? The societal message is that midlife represents the start of a death march full of disease, decrepitude, and desolation. But, as these graphs show, the reality is a different story (except in Russia, […]
Continue readingPeople seem stressed lately and I think it’s because they feel like things have gotten out of control. The reality is that things were never really as under control as we thought they were. We often live our lives under the “Illusion of Control” that create unrealistic expectations that lead to stress and worry. Many of […]
Continue readingIt has been a rough time for our Members over the last year. In most of our monthly meetings we hear of another challenge that seems impossible to fix. Inventory shortages and delays, dramatic cash flow issues, employees lured away by crazy salary offers and the frustrating search for great new employees. Often I hear […]
Continue readingKey #9: Send the Elevator Down When we are standing on top of a mountain and can look down to see how far we’ve come, I hope it’s with an overwhelming sense of pride and deep achievement. Because for women to make it to the top on their own terms, and not by trying to […]
Continue readingOver the years as a CFO, I have seen a bazillion KPIs—usually in the form of graphs and/or tables of numbers & ratios known as key performance indicators (“KPIs”). Lots of graphs can impress the reader and it may APPEAR that the financial folks are really “on it” when it comes to measuring stuff. Sometimes, […]
Continue readingWhen I was “CFOing” (1986–2011: 25 years), I initially thought when I was dealing with “my” service providers (bank, CPA firm, insurance brokers, etc.) that I was the customer, and I had always heard that “the customer is always right.” It never occurred to me that if I wasn’t a great customer, it didn’t […]
Continue readingEven before the mud hit the fan, industries and markets were undergoing huge changes. Business trends in the American marketplace revolving around tech and consumer behavior were focusing on analytics, uber targeting, and omnichannel marketing communications and support. The appearance of COVID-19 merely sped things up and, in some cases, intensified them. Anyone who’s been […]
Continue readingEconomies are slowly re-opening, sometimes in fits and starts. Millions of employees laid off for months are on the one hand desperate for stability while simultaneously feeling their employers deserted them at their moment of greatest need. Countless others have been working from home for the past year-plus. In many cases, they’ve gotten so comfortable […]
Continue readingAnyone who’s been paying attention recognizes that the increasingly frail environment is in trouble. Even as businesses of every stripe are focused on growing revenues and shrinking costs amidst raging competition and an ongoing pandemic, they’re challenged to minimize potentially negative environmental impacts by the products and services they sell AND by the myriad suppliers […]
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