CFO Bookshelf
348 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago -The CFO Bookshelf weekly podcast is geared toward global financial leaders who are serious about lifelong learning and reading widely.
The show's 200-plus podcast catalog features well-known authors who are experts in finance, pricing, marketing, sales, operations, organizational health, and leadership.
Episodes are released weekly, and the host responds to every message he gets about the shows on LinkedIn.
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Episodes
What Happened to the Vanderbilt Dynasty?
July 22, 2022 21:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Can you name any recent descendants of Cornelius Vanderbilt who didn't build one but two massive fortunes during the Gilded Age? After the third and fourth generations, the money started evaporating quickly, but why? Katherine Howe is the co-author of Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty. During this conversation, we explore some of the fascinating stories she uncovered with her co-author, Anderson Cooper that spans s...
Would You Work at This Warehouse?
July 16, 2022 03:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Rob Hart's book, The Warehouse, is a speculative dystopian thriller. The central character is an online retailer called Cloud - think Amazon in the distant future dominating its rivals which has devastating effects on small retailers across the country. Cloud's founder is dying of cancer, so he's on a farewell tour visiting all of the company's distribution centers. Is he a hero or is he delusional? Two other characters find out ho...
The Warehouse
July 16, 2022 03:00 - 44 minutes - 30.4 MBRob Hart's book, The Warehouse, is a speculative dystopian thriller. The central character is an online retailer called Cloud - think Amazon in the distant future dominating its rivals which has devastating effects on small retailers across the country. Cloud's founder is dying of cancer, so he's on a farewell tour visiting all of the company's distribution centers. Is he a hero or is he delusional? Two other characters find out how far Cloud will go to make the world a better place, but ...
Is Customer Empathy a Difference Maker?
July 09, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 41.6 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. We learn from Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view … until you climb into their skin and walk around in it." Elvis Pressley used to sing, "Before you abuse, criticize and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes." What may seem so apparent to many is not to others. In this conversation, we unpack the big ideas and linkages between business success and custo...
Is Customer Empathy Just Talk or a Difference Maker?
July 09, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 41.6 MBWe learn from Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view … until you climb into their skin and walk around in it." Elvis Pressley used to sing, "Before you abuse, criticize and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes." What may seem so apparent to many is not to others. In this conversation, we unpack the big ideas and linkages between business success and customer empathy with Dr. Natalie Petouhoff, the co-author of E...
A Turnaround Expert Learned His Craft the Hard Way
July 01, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 47.7 MBJeff Sands is the author of Corporate Turnaround Artistry. Before he started fixing and mending other companies' broken income statements and balance sheets, he first had to fix his own. During this conversation, we also learn about the debt stacks, myths of bankruptcies, the five stages of a turnaround, the three types of turnaround CEOs, and what Jeff calls the salvation process.
Fixing Broken Businesses
July 01, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 49.1 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Jeff Sands is the author of Corporate Turnaround Artistry. Before fixing and mending other companies' broken income statements and balance sheets, he had to fix his own. During this conversation, we also learn about the debt stacks, myths of bankruptcies, the five stages of a turnaround, the three types of turnaround CEOs, and what Jeff calls the salvation process. David C Barnett Small Business and Deal Making M&A SMB I discuss bu...
The Business of Mending Broken Businesses
July 01, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 47.7 MBJeff Sands is the author of Corporate Turnaround Artistry. Before he started fixing and mending other companies' broken income statements and balance sheets, he first had to fix his own. During this conversation, we also learn about the debt stacks, myths of bankruptcies, the five stages of a turnaround, the three types of turnaround CEOs, and what Jeff calls the salvation process.
How to Fix a Broken Business
July 01, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 47.7 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Jeff Sands is the author of Corporate Turnaround Artistry. Before fixing and mending other companies' broken income statements and balance sheets, he had to fix his own. During this conversation, we also learn about the debt stacks, myths of bankruptcies, the five stages of a turnaround, the three types of turnaround CEOs, and what Jeff calls the salvation process.
Learning the Turnaround Business the Hard Way
July 01, 2022 21:00 - 1 hour - 47.7 MBJeff Sands is the author of Corporate Turnaround Artistry. Before he started fixing and mending other companies' broken income statements and balance sheets, he first had to fix his own. During this conversation, we also learn about the debt stacks, myths of bankruptcies, the five stages of a turnaround, the three types of turnaround CEOs, and what Jeff calls the salvation process.
A Blockbuster Failure
June 24, 2022 02:00 - 1 hour - 42.9 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. If you think Netflix was the cause of Blockbuster's failure, you'll change your mind after you hear Alan Payne explain the reasons for this company's demise. Alan was a longtime owner of a chain of successful Blockbuster stores. He was also featured in the Netflix 2020 documentary, The Last Blockbuster. Alan's new book is Built to Fail, and we learn four reasons for Blockbuster's eventual bankruptcy which started with poor leadershi...
A Financially Powerful Culture
June 20, 2022 22:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. If I could only pick one book for any financial leader to read about company culture, it would be Patty McCord's book, Powerful. In this episode, two CFOs break down the big ideas in Patty's book which include the role of the culture-centric HR professional, making decisions on facts vs. data, annual performance reviews, variable pay, learning every aspect of a business, and teams vs. families.
Are Your Big Projects Profitable?
June 11, 2022 15:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Have you ever worked with a software vendor who said their solution would save you as much as $1 million annually? Or how about the big data warehousing project where the lead consultant says this project could lead to significantly more revenues? When you accept projects with these types of claims, have you gone back one year later to find out the actual cost savings you thought realized? Our topic on this show is the book entitle...
Just How Profitable Are Those Big Projects You've Implemented?
June 11, 2022 15:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBHave you ever worked with a software vendor who said their solution would save you as much as $1 million annually? Or how about the big data warehousing project where the lead consultant says this project could lead to significantly more revenues? When you accept projects with these types of claims, have you gone back one year later to find out the actual cost savings you thought realized? Our topic on this show is the book entitled, Project Profitability by our guest, Reginald Lee. We ex...
Just How Profitable Are Those Big Projects?
June 11, 2022 15:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBHave you ever worked with a software vendor who said their solution would save you as much as $1 million annually? Or how about the big data warehousing project where the lead consultant says this project could lead to significantly more revenues? When you accept projects with these types of claims, have you gone back one year later to find out the actual cost savings you thought realized? Our topic on this show is the book entitled, Project Profitability by our guest, Reginald Lee. We ex...
Finance Essentials in AI, Data Science and ERP
June 04, 2022 15:00 - 1 hour - 48.4 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Glenn Hopper is the author of Deep Finance: Corporate Finance for the Information Age. Glenn is a likable expert who helps the rest of us better understand artificial intelligence, data science, and ERP solutions. As a hands-on, self-taught digital expert, his writing is still easy to understand. In this conversation, some of the big ideas we cover are the differences between machine and deep learning, practical applications of da...
How to Become CEO or Even an Army Officer
May 28, 2022 15:00 - 53 minutes - 36.9 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. For too many years than I can count, I've been listening to the audio version of How to Become a CEO by Jeffrey Fox annually. The book is a simple, to-the-point book discussion that applies to any position, even an officer in the military. In this conversation, we hear about admitting fault, damaging emails, mastering one big new thing every year, the power and impact of handwritten notes, and a few classic books.
Reversing the Slide in Corporate Turnarounds
May 20, 2022 19:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Professor Jim Shein of the Kellogg School of Management is one of my favorite turnaround experts, and he's the author of my favorite book in this space, Reversing the Slide. Some of the big ideas we address are how to get started in this field of work, the role of strategy in turnarounds, the 13-week cash flow forecast, and a handful of case studies. We also learn who is best suited for this type of work, CEOs or CFOs.
The Power of Analogy
May 14, 2022 15:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Financial writers have been telling CFOs that they need to become storytellers in their businesses. How? John Pollack is a former presidential speechwriter and he's an expert in analogies. He's delivered a popular TEDx presentation on the topic and this book Shortcut takes a deep dive into the anatomy of this powerful tool to sell our ideas. In this interview, we hear examples of good analogies, how they shape the legal system, and ...
A New Way to Think With Roger Martin
May 06, 2022 17:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBI'm going to make the bold statement that Roger Martin is this era's Peter Drucker as a prolific business writer. Roger has co-authored my favorite book on strategy, Playing to Win which is simple, concise, pragmatic, and has plenty of sticky concepts. Roger's newest book is A New Way to Think. If you like Adam Grant, Dan Pink, the Heath brothers, or Matthew May, this book belongs in your book queue, the topic in this conversation.
Roger Martin's New Way of Thinking
May 06, 2022 17:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. I'm going to make the bold statement that Roger Martin is this era's Peter Drucker as a prolific business writer. Roger has co-authored my favorite book on strategy, Playing to Win which is simple, concise, pragmatic, and has plenty of sticky concepts. Roger's newest book is A New Way to Think. If you like Adam Grant, Dan Pink, the Heath brothers, or Matthew May, this book belongs in your book queue, the topic in this conversation. ...
A New Way of Thinking With Roger Martin
May 06, 2022 17:00 - 43 minutes - 29.8 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. I'm going to make the bold statement that Roger Martin is this era's Peter Drucker as a prolific business writer. Roger has co-authored my favorite book on strategy, Playing to Win which is simple, concise, pragmatic, and has plenty of sticky concepts. Roger's newest book is A New Way to Think. If you like Adam Grant, Dan Pink, the Heath brothers, or Matthew May, this book belongs in your book queue, the topic in this conversation.
Ram Charan on Finding, Getting, and Developing Talent
April 30, 2022 18:00 - 18 minutes - 13 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Finding, obtaining, and developing leadership talent is not easy, and there is plenty of data to support making decisions too fast or waiting too long in getting the right team in place. Ram Charan is known for books like Execution, Boards That Deliver, and What the CEO Wants You to Know. He's also the co-author of Talent: The Market Cap Multiplier. In this conversation, we talk about the talent bank, the one-to-one conversations, ...
OKRs With Outcomes
April 22, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour - 47.3 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Ben Lamorte is making his third appearance on CFO Bookshelf. He certifies OKRs coaches on his platform, OKRs.com. His newest book is The OKRs Field Book. In this conversation, we address outcomes vs outputs, setting meaningful objectives through a five-step process, and OKRs vs KPIs.
Outcome-Based OKRs
April 22, 2022 22:00 - 1 hour - 47.3 MBBen Lamorte is making his third appearance on CFO Bookshelf. He certifies OKRs coaches on his platform, OKRs.com. His newest book is The OKRs Field Book. In this conversation, we address outcomes vs outputs, setting meaningful objectives through a five-step process, and OKRs vs KPIs.
The Six Pillars of CEO Excellence
April 16, 2022 02:00 - 42 minutes - 28.9 MBIf you ask ten successful CEOs what they do, you'll probably hear many answers--all good, but vastly different from executive to executive. A dream team of McKinsey partners decided to research the very question based on 200 in-depth interviews and surveys with successful CEOs. Their findings are found in the new book, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest. In this conversation, we hear from one of the co-authors, Carolyn Dewar as she talks abou...
Six Pillars of CEO Excellence
April 16, 2022 02:00 - 42 minutes - 28.9 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. If you ask ten successful CEOs what they do, you'll probably hear many answers--all good, but vastly different from executive to executive. A dream team of McKinsey partners decided to research the very question based on 200 in-depth interviews and surveys with successful CEOs. Their findings are found in the new book, CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest. In this conversation, we hear f...
Don't Call Us the PayPal Mafia
April 08, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 48.1 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. If you've been searching for the PayPal version of Brad Stone's, The Everything Store, then you can start with Jimmy Soni's new book, The Founders. In this fast-paced interview with the author, we learn many smaller stories behind the bigger ones of PayPal's big obstacles it faced before its IPO: the lack of innovation at the big banks Reid Hoffman's role in what PayPal is today The combination of X.com and Confinity Peter Thiel,...
The DNA Behind the FABS Leadership Styles
April 01, 2022 23:00 - 53 minutes - 36.7 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. As we observe the DNA behind some of our favorite CEOs, patterns will start to surface. Some are natural at scaling companies to new levels. And then there are stories like those of Phil Knight, Jeff Bezos, Reid Hoffman, and Sara Blakely who started with a kernel of an idea and went on to launch brands that are household names. Bob Jordan is the co-author of Right Leader, Right Time, a book that reveals a framework listing four natur...
Becoming Trader Joe with Patty Civalleri
March 26, 2022 00:00 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MBJoe Coulombe is one of the most intelligent, creative, and thoughtful CEOs I've read about in the past ten to twenty years. He grew Trader Joe's into one of the most successful and iconic brands in the grocery industry before he sold the business in 1979. Patty Civalleri is the co-author of Becoming Trader Joe and was a dear friend of this gifted entrepreneur. In this episode, we touch on his compensation philosophy, creative marketing strategies, the books he read, product knowledge, and s...
The Entrepreneurial Magic of Trader Joe's
March 26, 2022 00:00 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MBJoe Coulombe is one of the most intelligent, creative, and thoughtful CEOs I've read about in the past ten to twenty years. He grew Trader Joe's into one of the most successful and iconic brands in the grocery industry before he sold the business in 1979. Patty Civalleri is the co-author of Becoming Trader Joe and was a dear friend of this gifted entrepreneur. In this episode, we touch on his compensation philosophy, creative marketing strategies, the books he read, product knowledge, and s...
Entrepreneurial Magic at Trader Joe's
March 26, 2022 00:00 - 44 minutes - 30.9 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Joe Coulombe is one of the most intelligent, creative, and thoughtful CEOs I've read about in the past ten to twenty years. He grew Trader Joe's into one of the most successful and iconic brands in the grocery industry before he sold the business in 1979. Patty Civalleri is the co-author of Becoming Trader Joe and was a dear friend of this gifted entrepreneur. In this episode, we touch on his compensation philosophy, creative marketi...
What is Agile Strategy?
March 19, 2022 17:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Dan Montgomery is the founder of Agile Strategies, a boutique OKRs firm, and the author of Start Less Finish More. Dan states the old strategic planning model of predicting and then controlling needs to give way to sensing and responding, and he calls that agile strategy. In this conversation, he hit on many fascinating concepts: limitations of The Balanced Scorecard executing vs formulating strategy the retreat to cozy mental mo...
What's the Book on Phantom Stock?
March 12, 2022 01:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. Good luck on finding a book about phantom stock plans that's simple to understand with practical examples. It does not exist. However, Paolo Pasicolan has created nearly a hundred such plans with the law firm he works for, Miles and Stockbridge. Paulo's explanation of phantom stock plans is clear, concise, and complete.
What is a Business Psychologist?
March 05, 2022 18:00 - 55 minutes - 38.3 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. I've always been intrigued about the roles of business psychologists and certified business coaches and their ability to elevate the performances of the people and businesses they work with. In this show, I visited with Dr. Russell Thackeray, a business psychologist, certified coach, trainer, and renowned speaker. We addressed topics such as resistance, when to hire a business coach, the intentions and execution of tough love, psycho...
Captain Charlie Plumb on Grit, Honor, and Gratitude
February 26, 2022 01:00 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. I first heard Captain Charlie Plumb's POW story some twenty years ago, and I'm thrilled to share this conversation where we talk about Louis Zamperini, an unlikely parachute dialogue, culture, the leadership of Admiral James Stockdale, and some astounding research regarding PTSD of the men held at the Hanoi Hilton.
Why Are KPIs So Hard To Figure Out?
February 19, 2022 20:00 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MBIf 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.
Why KPIs Are So Hard To Figure Out
February 19, 2022 20:00 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MBIf 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.
Why KPIs Are Hard To Figure Out
February 19, 2022 20:00 - 57 minutes - 39.2 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
Financial Modeling Fundamentals
February 12, 2022 18:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
Financial Modeling Insights with FMI's Ian Schnoor
February 12, 2022 18:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBOne 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, what the planning process looks like, component vs systems thinking, and other big ideas around this critical business skill.
Measures of Success With Mark Graban
February 06, 2022 19:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
The Psychopathic CEO
January 29, 2022 00:00 - 45 minutes - 31.5 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
What Is The Amazon Way?
January 22, 2022 05:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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, yet challenging leadership principles.
The Top Shows of 2021
January 22, 2022 04:00 - 1 hour - 45.1 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
Behind the Scenes of a Great Business Podcast
January 15, 2022 21:00 - 57 minutes - 39.8 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
Is There a Thief in Your Company?
January 08, 2022 18:00 - 41 minutes - 28.8 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
The Best Business Books of 2021
December 31, 2021 06:00 - 1 hour - 44 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
From Cop to Calculator to Expert Financial Modeler
December 18, 2021 03:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.
Agile Mergers and Acquisitions
December 11, 2021 22:00 - 35 minutes - 24.1 MBLike the show? Send us a text message on what you liked. 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.