CFO Bookshelf

If you do an Amazon search on KPIs, the top result will be KPI Checklists by Bernie Smith. Bernie's newest book is entitled Gamed , our topic for this discussion. We'll find out why so many smart and creative people have a hard time agreeing on KPIs, what black hat testing is for incentives, and the KPI framework named ROKET-DS.

One of the rock stars of financial modeling is one of the founders and the Executive Director of the Financial Modeling Institute, Ian Schnoor. In this episode, we talk about the multi-disciplinary requirements of financial modeling, the planning process, component vs systems thinking, and other big ideas around this critical business skill.

My four favorite authors on performance measure with improvement as the primary aim is Don Wheeler, Stacey Barr, Dean Spitzer, and Mark Graban. In this conversation, we find out three of the most important questions surrounding performance improvement the right. Our guest is Mark Graban, and he's the author of Measures of Success, our topic for this episode.

Have you ever worked for a psychopathic CEO? If not, odds are that you will at least once in your career. That's according to the founder and president of the CFO Leadership Council, Jack McCullough. Jack's newest book is, The Psychopathic CEO , and we'll hear more about who they are, how they make their way into a company, and what to do should you work for one.

Every current and past senior executive at Amazon will say their leadership principles are behind every groundbreaking innovation. Every student of business knows about Amazon's obsession with its customers. But that's only one of the leadership principles. In this episode, John Rossman, the author of The Amazon Way delivers some of the big ideas and concepts baked into these inspiring,...

In 2021, CFO Bookshelf published 51 episodes. In this show, we reveal the top ten that were the most downloaded across various podcast channels. We'll also share the producer's picks which comprise authors who are considered thought leaders in their fields across the globe.

CFO Bookshelf loves The Soul of Enterprise weekly podcast hosted by Ed Kless and Ron Baker. In this conversation, we go behind the scenes with Ed Kless on how the show was created, how they prep for each weekly live show, and some of their favorite guests.

Oscar Wallace is my second-favorite accountant in the movies, and you may remember him from The Untouchables . Tiffany Couch and Oscar share one thing in common--they both use the science of numbers to find theft and wrongdoing. Tiffany is a long-time forensic accountant, and she's the author of, The Thief in Your Company .

We read 109 books in 2021, and in this episode, we'll share our Top 10 along with some bonus selections. Find out three of the top CEOs ever in American business. Learn why start-up founders have lonely jobs. What is the best book ever written on finance? The answers are found in this very special episode.

While you may not recognize the name, Steve Bailey is one of three people I would enshrine immediately into a financial modeling hall of fame if one existed. Steve is a long-time financial modeling expert and he's the founder of Model Metrix, a firm providing modeling-as-a-service and integrated business planning design work.

When you think of agile you probably think of software development. How about for M&A activities? Kison Patel is the author of Agile M&A and M&A Tactics . He's also the founder and CEO of DealRoom. In this show, we talk about the mindset, methods, and technology of agile M&A.

Whether you love the Beatles, are a casual fan, or don't care for them, the first thought that probably pops from your mind when you hear this group's name is a famous band and one where you know all the members - Paul, John, George, and Ringo. Here's assuming you never think of the terms economics, entrepreneurship, human capital, innovation, venture capital, and management. In thi...

Bolanle (Bola) Williams-Olley took a circuitous route to her CFO position and also received much help along the way. Now she's doing what she can to help others in becoming the best version of themselves. Bola is also the author of Build Boldy where she tells the story of starting her accounting career with a math background in the architectural industry. Today, she is the CFO for the archite...

There are millions of obscure names of the men and women behind every label of the food we buy at our local grocery stores. While some of these stories are sad and despairing, others are inspiring. Benjamin Loor lifts humanity through this special book, The Secret Life of Groceries . In this episode, we hear about three of the people Ben wrote about in this book that's part entrepreneurialism...

My favorite books are narrative non-fiction which can inform, inspire, and entertain. When the book possesses all of these traits, we have a special book. And that's what we have with Mark Paul's book, The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told. At times, the book reads like fiction, but it's not. The book includes an NFL owner who wanted to swap his Chargers for horses, a horse trainer...

I've been a Patrick Lencioni fan for years. His last book is The Motive and it was released during COVID. Is it his best book? Why did he write it? Where does it fit with his other great books? Brian Jones is a friend of Lencioni and one of the consultants for the author's Table Group consulting arm. Brian provides a great perspective to these questions and more.

Before Moneyball, we had Finley Ball. While Finley ball lacked the analytics brought to us by Moneyball in the same baseball city of Oakland, California, Finley Ball was about color, magical moments at the ballpark, and improving the product for the fan while still producing a winning product on the field. Our guest is the niece of Charlie Finley who owned the Oakland A's. Nancy Finley's...

If you are looking for a clear and concise explanation of ESOPs, then you'll enjoy listening to Jess Helvick of First International Bank and Trust. Jess is an ESOP expert who explains these benefit plans simply and with impact. During this conversation, we address the what, why and who of ESOPs. We examine three commonly-held myths surrounding ESOPs. We also look at the before, during, and af...

Is Atomic Habits by James Clear overrated? And, is Atomic Habits worth reading? I’ve asked my friend and fellow CFO, Bruce Reed of PracticeLink to go all bookclub in this discussion. We answer these questions and hit our favorite big ideas in the book.

Dealing or coping with change is one of the most difficult challenges for any financial leader to come to grips with - either for themselves or those they lead, mentor, or coach. Rick Maurer is the author of Beyond the Wall of Resistance which includes important constructs like the three levels of resistance and the change cycle. During this conversation, Rick provides advice and guidance on how t...

Shannon Susko might be the most energetic business consultant I've ever met thanks to her infectious enthusiasm and deep understanding of how to scale a business toward achievable and positive results. Shannon has successfully started and sold two businesses and now runs a consulting firm that includes a pillar framework called 3HAG Way which is the topic of this discussion.

If you liked the book, Barbarians at the Gate , then you'll like The Ceasars Palace Coup . Max Frumes is one of the co-authors of the book, and we learn more about what went wrong when the investors levered Harrah's with nearly $27 billion in debt when they took the gaming business private.

Probably everything you know about setting goals and how to achieve them rests on the research of Dr. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham in the 1980s. Dr. Edwin Locke is also the author of the underrated book The Prime Movers which is as good if not better than Good to Great . In this show, we talk about Dr. Locke's pioneering research on the theory of goal setting along with the men and women who a...

While intellectual capital is nearly impossible to value, it clearly counts in the process of building wealth. Ron Baker is the author of Mind Over Matter which is an exploration of where wealth comes from and its three pillars of capital - human, structural, and social. As Ron would say, there's nothing more pragmatic than a good theory. That's why we'll come away from this convers...

Gary Harpst is one of the co-founders of Solomon Software which was ultimately acquired by Great Plains. After that divestiture, Gary did a deep dive into what drove success in small businesses. The research resulted in two books on strategy and execution, and a consulting framework called Six Disciplines. Gary is the author of two books: Six Disciplines for Excellence and Six Disciplines Executio...