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And there are many Many of us in finance are introverts. I regularly annoy my wife (a true introvert) by asserting that I am one as well. She...

This is easy Merger and acquisition activities regularly fail to meet strategic expectations. But here are some suggestions for how to make sure...

I certainly need to A colleague and I were discussing communication recently – the importance of clarity, tone, conciseness, etc. – and he mentioned...

Not exactly a compliment I had a colleague at the bank who periodically referred to our various support functions—risk, compliance, internal audit,...

The Opportunity The finance function’s significant role in providing financial information for decision-making creates an opportunity for those...

What we see all too frequently When organizations look into and make plans about the future, the thinking that goes on and the documents in which we...

Danger, danger, danger About two and half miles from our house, I regularly thread my way through a perilous section of roadway: where the I-27...

Lots and lots of words Words fascinate me. They always have. The etymologies. The synonyms with various shades of meaning on the same topic. The...

A recent break from work I came downstairs from my office to grab a bite (or two) of lunch and discovered Chris and two of our young ones hangin’...

“Deliver the results!” The boss was very clear about the desired outcome and expected tangible, measurable results. And we delivered: Initiate every...

Stonewall and Little Mac: a study in contrasts We often learn best by making and cleaning up our own mistakes. That’s certainly been my own...

Cue the not-so-superhero soundtrack Mortal that I am, I have my share of pet peeves. One prominent one raised its head in two settings recently...

Let's start with the pram Per The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (1969, unabridged): pram, n. Chiefly Brit. Informal. Perambulator...

More about this significant book As I noted in an earlier blog article, Every Good Endeavor by Timothy Keller and Katherine Leary Alsdorf is the...

The book Peter F. Drucker, famed management thinker and writer, published The Effective Executive in 1966.1 This slim volume and his later...

A bank CEO’s lament A bank CEO recently mentioned a frustrating challenge: bank employees who are desperate for an A or A+ in their work, but what...

When the cat is away… …the mice often get lots more work done. At least, that’s what some of my “mice” have told me after I have come back from a...

A history lesson Back in the day, individuals with checking accounts had (or should have had) a monthly ritual: receiving in the mail from the bank...

I can’t imagine not having this book in my toolkit In the mid-aughts (2006 or so), someone introduced me to a powerful new book by Stephen M. R....

Why the quotation marks? We never truly manage time. We can’t. It flows by at a relentless, steady pace. No one (no human anyway) can do anything...

A just-right stock image When I launched the Six Arrows endeavor, I looked for a visual image for the new website that would convey something about...

Challenging stuff A recent article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “What Makes a Great Board Director?” included this observation about risk and...

A significant book Every now and then, I discover a book that has profound and lasting effects on my thinking and on how my thinking ripples through...

Love/hate relationship? That’s how I intended to start this article, with an exploration of why we love and hate budgeting—till I paused to reflect...

Introducing Michelle During my time as CFO of a respected, high-growth Texas community bank, I got acquainted with a strong, experienced CFO at...

Sermon on the Mount Some of Christ’s most well-known teaching is captured in three chapters in Matthew’s gospel account in Scripture. Matthew...

Dad humor Dad humor is genetic. And, yes, many of you think it is annoying. But bear with me for a few minutes anyway. I’ve practiced it expertly...

Cue a collective wince Accountability: likely not on the list of top ten favorite words for any of us. In fact, we may recoil inwardly and even...

Me, neither I came to banking nearly 70% of the way into my business career.1 This meant that, though I’d had extensive experience on the other side...

On the scene In countless board rooms across the country (and in the couple of handful of them I’ve spent time in, either as a director or as part...

Bar ditches In high school, I ran cross country. And we’ll pause there for a moment for those who know me personally to attempt to deal with the...

An easy target All you need to do to get lots of heads nodding in agreement (if in person, or fingers generating “likes” and reposts in a virtual...

The workshop Yesterday, I had the privilege of spending a bit over an hour with a client’s Finance team plus some executives (honorary Finance...

The reminder A recent trip provided me with a vivid reminder of an important truth: principles about effective stewardship leadership transcend time...

Introducing Mikel Mikel and I worked together at the Texas community bank where I served as CFO. Initially, as a market president, he was an...

The strategic CFO Chief Financial Officers by the nature of their roles serve in stewardship leadership positions that involve strategy for their...

Did that catch your attention? Why would I assert that a “no” could be a legitimate answer to that question? Of course we should think like an...

Introducing Leslie Leslie and I worked together at a bank for several years – Leslie as head of our very effective training department and me as...

First, a clarification My focus is working and talking and solving problems with leaders. And this article will follow that pattern. So, no, it’s...

CFOs: listen up Others are welcome to listen in, but I’d like to address my thoughts today to all of you Chief Financial Officers out there. We’ll...

Seriously? Accountability isn’t necessarily a top ten favorite word in organizations. We sometimes (often?) resent being held accountable, and we’re...

Raison d'etre I suspect starting an article with a French phrase isn’t best manners for a blogger. But it fits my topic, so I’ll risk it. My...

Impact I’m aware “impact” is an overused word, and sometimes we even find ourselves using that noun as a verb. Not a fan of either. But sometimes,...

Learning about leadership Throughout my personal and professional journey as a leader, I’ve sought wisdom from others—some I know personally and...

The default strategic objective Most every business includes growth as part of its core strategic objectives. Sometimes that’s simply a knee-jerk...

The high compliment Someone has just paid you a high professional compliment: they’ve invited you to join the board of a respected organization. But...

S_OT? Yes, S_OT. And, no, that is not a typo. Despite the blank, your mind likely read that non-word/nonacronym as “SWOT Analysis” – the Strength,...

Lessons learned from the banks that The Lost Bank by Kirsten Grind.

Making decisions as a group Making decisions can be hard. We have to gather relevant information, assess alternatives, anticipate possible outcomes,...