Podcast

Forbes magazine has called him the grandfather of gamification. He’s also the best-selling author of The Game of Work and has scored other winners with Scorekeeping for Success, and Managing the Obvious. Behind his back, I’m calling Chuck Coonradt the owner, general manager, and MVP head coach of The Game of Work who should have his own wing in the Consultant’s Hall of Fame. In this memorable conversation, we learn also The Game of Work is for parents too.

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One of my favorite business books doubles up as a leadership manual on getting a large, but failing business to pull together until success finally arrives, but not without hardship and economic headwinds. Alan Mulally, the former CEO of Ford, might still be a relatively unknown business icon had Bryce Hoffman not written about him in his best-selling book, American Icon. Bryce is also the author of Red Teaming.

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The most downloaded show on CFO Bookshelf is our 2020 interview view Ben Lamorte on OKRs. It was Ben who introduced me to Christina Wodtke’s work on OKRs years ago which included her great presentation entitled, Executioner’s Tale and her book Radical Focus. Christina recently released the 2nd edition of Radical Focus, our topic on this episode of CFO Bookshelf.

[Read more…] about Christina Wodtke Doubles Down on OKRs and Radical Focus

In 2004, I first encountered the name, Ron Baker. I have Gary Boomer to thank for that at an event held in Kansas City for CPA practices. He recommended the book, The Firm of the Future. I couldn’t put it down while vacationing in North Carolina. While I consider Ron the (very young) grandfather of value pricing for CPA and professional services firms, many acolytes are sharing his message with zeal and effectiveness. One such person is Geraldine Carter.

[Read more…] about Niching Down and Burying the Billable Hour

Once I started getting the general idea of Wardley Mapping, I still wanted to learn more. And that’s when I kept bumping into the great teaching of Ben Mosier who runs Learn Wardley Mapping (LWM) as well as his YouTube videos at ben at hiredthought. Behind his back, I’m calling him the Ryan Holiday or Shane Parrish of Wardley Mapping.

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I found the work of Simon Wardley several years ago, and I was hooked from the very beginning of his message on visualizing strategy. I’ve never been satisfied with annual strategic planning exercises. The work seems forced if not a bit contrived at times. In this discussion, we talk about Sun Tzu’s five factors, the OODA Loop, mapping, doctrine, and other key concepts of Wardley Mapping.

[Read more…] about Strategy Meets Wardley Mapping

As I search for books to highlight on the show, I’m looking for unique, interesting content and an author who has probably slipped under other podcasters’ radars. Take, for instance, the title Rasputin for Hire by Michael Goodman. Michael is a marketing expert who has been consulting since 1979. In this episode, we learn two of the most important requirements for being a consultant and why gig assignments between jobs may not be a great idea.

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Greg Graves is the former CEO for the employee-owned engineering firm, Burns & McDonnell based in Kansas City, Missouri. Greg’s new book is Create Amazing which a readable, informative, and even at times, an inspiring discussion on ESOPs. In this interview, several themes surfaced including how a band of committed employee owners tamed rivers and captured the wind by making a difference for the clients they served.

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Brad Chase was the marketing mastermind behind one of the most successful software launches ever – Windows 95. He replicated this success while serving at Microsoft on several other high-profile projects. Brad is the author of Strategy First: How Businesses Win Big. In this episode, we discuss the big ideas in his book including the E-Strategy and simple formula that’s simple, impactful, and memorable.

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There is typically a 4-6 week delay between interviewing a podcast guest and going live with the show. Waiting on this one seemed like forever. Jack McCullough is the CFO of all CFOs. He’s the founder and President of The CFO Leadership Council. He’s also the author of Secrets of Rock Star CFOs, a book he released in 2019. In this episode, we talk about the traits of great CFOs.

[Read more…] about What is a Rock Star CFO?