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Performance Management

Corporate Financial Planning, Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

When Revenue Grows Faster Than Systems: How to Avoid the Growth Trap

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The content discusses the “growth trap” phenomenon, highlighting how rapid revenue growth can lead to systemic weaknesses in organizations. Companies often neglect infrastructure development while chasing growth, resulting in inefficiencies and potential failures. Emphasizing the need for early warning systems, the text urges businesses to recognize operational indicators and foster a proactive approach to infrastructure and process management to sustain healthy growth.

Corporate Financial Planning, Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

Growth at the Speed of Judgment: Scaling Without Breaking the Business

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The text discusses the dangers of unchecked growth in companies, highlighting that rapid expansion can lead to systemic fragility, cultural dilution, and operational inefficiencies. It advocates for judgment-driven growth, emphasizing the importance of structured decision-making, talent maturity, and strategic discipline to ensure sustainable success and resilience in scaling operations.

Corporate Financial Planning, Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

Every Dollar Should Have a Job: Strategic Investment Discipline for CFOs

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CFOs must recognize that every dollar spent has both explicit and opportunity costs, shaping strategic investment discipline. This involves intentional capital allocation with clear objectives, structured measurement, and timely evaluations. Successful CFOs prioritize projects that align with company goals, fostering a culture of accountability and optimizing resources, particularly during growth and downturns.

Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

What PE Really Looks For: 10 Metrics You Must Own Before They Walk In

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Private equity relies on precision and data-driven analysis to assess risk and returns, valuing clarity over charisma. CFOs must control key metrics—revenue quality, gross margin, customer acquisition costs, net revenue retention, SG&A efficiency, cash conversion cycle, EBITDA margin, capital intensity, cohort performance, and forecast accuracy—to shape the narrative and secure favorable outcomes in PE discussions.

Corporate Financial Planning, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

Capital Is No Longer Cheap: The CFO’s Guide to Doing More with Less

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The landscape of finance has shifted from abundant capital to a focus on efficiency and discipline. CFOs now prioritize value-driven strategies, emphasizing accountability and intentional capital allocation. By employing zero-based budgeting and fostering a culture of rigorous decision-making, organizations can thrive despite constraints, ensuring sustainable growth and resilience in today’s economy.

Corporate Financial Planning, Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

How to Turn Investor Due Diligence into a Showcase of Strategic Maturity

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Due diligence is more than a mere testing process; it acts as a reflection of a company’s operations and leadership. Effective due diligence involves transparent communication and organized documentation, enabling trust between the CFO and investors. This orchestration showcases operational maturity, facilitates alignment, and demonstrates a company’s readiness for growth and accountability.

Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

Getting Board Buy-In on Exits: Balancing Emotions, Strategy, and Shareholder Value

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Deciding to exit a business involves emotional and strategic considerations for boards, requiring alignment on legacy and future direction. Effective exits are reframed as strategic transitions, emphasizing timing, valuation transparency, stakeholder alignment, leadership continuity, and governance mechanisms. Well-prepared boards foster buy-in, leading to successful transitions that enhance organizational focus and value.

Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

Boards Should Be Evaluated Too: Creating Feedback Loops at the Top”

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Board effectiveness hinges on rigorous self-assessment, which fosters continuous improvement and strategic alignment. Without intentional evaluations, boards risk blind spots and groupthink. Four pillars—clarity of purpose, structured process, safe dissent, and continuous evolution—ensure that evaluations are meaningful. Effective boards utilize feedback to enhance performance and demonstrate accountability, leading to smarter governance.

Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

When Founders and Boards Disagree: A CFO’s Guide to Reframing the Argument

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In the intersection of founders and boards, tension arises from differing priorities. CFOs play a crucial role in transforming disagreements into structured dialogue, emphasizing shared goals and using tools like strategic anchoring and scenario modeling. Effective CFOs foster trust and clarity, enabling alignment and constructive decision-making between urgent founder ambitions and board prudence.

Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

Designing a Principle-Based Board: Clarity, Courage, and Collective Intelligence

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Modern boards face challenges of complexity and speed in decision-making, where acting on principles rather than procedures leads to better outcomes. A principle-based governance model requires clarity, courage, and collective intelligence, fostering effective decision-making amid disruption. Establishing a principle charter and maintaining a culture of accountability are essential for this approach.

Corporate Financial Planning, Governance, Performance Management

Debt, Equity, or Hybrid? Designing the Right Capital Stack

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The capital dilemma for growing businesses revolves around funding choices between equity, debt, and hybrids. Each option influences control, obligations, and strategic goals. CFOs must understand these dynamics to determine the best capital structure throughout a company’s lifecycle while ensuring flexibility, stakeholder alignment, and readiness for growth or exit strategies.

Corporate Financial Planning, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

Revenue is Not Cash: Solving the SaaS RevRec Puzzle

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The essay explores the complexities of revenue recognition in SaaS, emphasizing the importance of aligning bookings, cash flow, and revenue. It outlines the strategic function of revenue recognition under ASC 606, advocating for robust systems and processes. Ultimately, it posits that accurate revenue handling builds trust and credibility, essential for sustainable growth.

Corporate Financial Planning, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

Not Just NPV: CFOs Need to Love the Payback Period Again

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In finance, while Net Present Value (NPV) is widely respected for valuing investments, the payback period emerges as a crucial complementary tool amidst market uncertainty. It emphasizes the speed of capital return, improving liquidity and offering strategic flexibility, making it essential for informed investment decisions in today’s volatile economy.

Corporate Financial Planning, Performance Management

Smart CapEx in Tight Times: How to Prioritize Infrastructure Bets

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In volatile markets, capital expenditures (CapEx) are scrutinized for strategic alignment and payback timing, emphasizing disciplined investment. CFOs should prioritize cross-functional value, modular approaches, and data-driven decision-making. CapEx signals company culture, impacting employee morale. Ultimately, smart CapEx is vital for competitive advantage, enhancing agility in challenging economic conditions.

Governance, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

When to Centralize, When to Fragment: The Shared Services Dilemma

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In business, scaling brings both advantages and challenges, particularly regarding centralization versus fragmentation. CFOs must balance efficiency and control with agility and responsiveness. Creating a hybrid model, where necessary functions are centralized while allowing flexibility in others, is often the best approach. Continuous reevaluation and effective design are crucial for optimal operations.

Corporate Financial Planning, Leadership & Culture, Performance Management

The Hardest Hire: Why Finance Talent Is in Short Supply

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The critical challenge in business today isn’t capital or competition, but finding the right finance leaders. The demand for skilled finance talent is increasing, yet the talent pool remains shallow due to retiring professionals and an evolving role that requires diverse skills. Companies must prioritize recruitment strategies, culture, and internal development to address this shortage effectively.

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