Behind his back, I call him a Peter Drucker. He’s the co-host of one of my favorite podcasts, 2Bobs. He’s also the author of six business books. His name is David C. Baker, and I could listen to him all day with his pearls of wisdom on accumulating and sharing expertise with others. David’s newest book is Secret Tradecraft of Elite Advisors. Even W-2 knowledge workers can gain insights from this book geared toward third-party experts.
[Read more…] about The Logic and Magic of Expertise and Tradecraft
A Podcast for Financial Leaders
In the CFO Bookshelf archives, an old audio file was found collecting dust, and it was an interview between Oracle Netsuite and Mark Gandy, the host of this show. The audio is from a pre-recorded webinar for their audience, and the title was called, The Books CFOs Read, and it was hosted by Ranga Bodla, NetSuite’s Head of Industry Marketing. The show also featured opinions on the evolving role of today’s CFO.
[Read more…] about A Podcast for Financial Leaders
Building a $100 Million Brand Against Formidable Odds
Some of my favorite books by business founders include Boss Life by Paul Downs, Anything You Want by Derek Sivers, and Wild Company by the Zieglers. What it Takes by Raegan Moya-Jones, the gritty and successful co-founder of aden + anais is also high on my list. Her book includes many of the typical hurdles we’d expect in a startup story. But very few tackle the weighty subject of pioneering women building a global brand in a male-dominated space as Raegan did.
[Read more…] about Building a $100 Million Brand Against Formidable Odds
What is a Donor-Advised Fund?
Do you have any idea what a donor-advised fund is? I didn’t until my conversation with the founder of Groundswell, Jake Wood. Jake is no stranger to charitable giving and non-profits, as he c0-founded Team Rubicon in 2010. In this conversation, Jake explains how any individual or business can give like Bill Gates, be taxed like Warren Buffett, and be recognized like John D. Rockefeller through such a simple giving mechanism–donor-advised funds.
[Read more…] about What is a Donor-Advised Fund?
What is Fair Pay?
There’s a Mad Men scene where Harry Crane where learns that a colleague makes $100 a week more than he does. He believes he deserves a raise, and he ultimately receives a slight raise from his intimidating boss. Do you believe he was happy with the outcome? How about you? Are you paid fairly? In this episode, compensation expert David Buckmaster is going to unpack this fascinating topic based on his book Fair Pay.
[Read more…] about What is Fair Pay?
Four Banking Frameworks for Any Industry
CFO Bookshelf does not sit in the seat of judgment, nor does it play the role of pundit in the midst of the 2023 banking crisis. We’ll let the regulators and the media handle those duties. Instead, CFO Bookshelf is about old and revolutionary ideas we can test and apply in our organizations. In response to this banking crisis, we share four impactful banking frameworks that can be applied by any senior leadership team in any industry.
[Read more…] about Four Banking Frameworks for Any Industry
The Business Every Professional Should Manage for a Year
I have a very strong opinion about the restaurant industry. Before starting their careers, every professional should run or manage a restaurant. That’s because a restaurant encompasses manufacturing, service, and retail in the midst of intense competition. Add in the people element, where it’s hard to find and keep great people for the long game, and your management skills could reach new highs that will be difficult to experience in any other environment.
[Read more…] about The Business Every Professional Should Manage for a Year
My 15% vs Ownership Thinking
Numerous CEO friends continually extol the employee virtues of ownership thinking. I’ve never jumped on that bandwagon. I’ve met my share of passive and disengaged, country club-like, and unsophisticated owners. With that jaded imagery in my mind, I don’t want employees thinking like owners, even if the bad ones represent a small minority of all entrepreneurs. Instead, I prefer a stewardship mentality.
[Read more…] about My 15% vs Ownership Thinking
Accounting’s Impact on Human Capital
Author and HBR contributor Peter Cappelli asserts that accounting and financial reporting are wreaking havoc on damaging HR decisions by corporate leaders. In this conversation, Peter reveals that 90% of all company vacancies were filled internally prior to 1980. Today, that number is just over 20%. He adds that there were very few layoffs more than 40 years ago. Today, layoffs make headlines weekly. We’ll learn how accounting is driving these trends in the wrong direction.
[Read more…] about Accounting’s Impact on Human Capital
Return to the Little Kingdom
Many business readers who are fans of Apple will probably state that Walter Isaacson’s book on Steve Jobs is the best starting point for learning about the business he co-founded with Steve Wozniak. Thanks to my guest and his unique insights on this episode, I now believe that Return to the Little Kingdom by Michael Moritz is the go-to book for learning both the backstory and the early days of this unicorn.
[Read more…] about Return to the Little Kingdom