Return of the Jedi (auditor)

Sometimes, people make mistakes. Recognizing when it happens and moving decisively to fix the situation is an important life skill, I think. Three years ago, I left a building materials company to start work for a Canadian retail company. At the time, I thought it was a good move for my career. The Canadian retailerContinue reading “Return of the Jedi (auditor)”

CFOs crave soft skills, but aren’t providing training

I caught the following tweet recently, and it reminded me of my most recent blog post on a survey that found finance people lacking in “value creation” skills: CFOs say soft skills are needed, but many aren’t offering training | http://t.co/kgsZg7kRjD (via .@CGMA) — CalCPA (@Cal_CPA) July 9, 2013 The tweet links to a storyContinue reading “CFOs crave soft skills, but aren’t providing training”

Finance managers are human

CFO.com has brought to my attention a survey conducted by the CEB of finance managers. They asked finance managers whether they believe their direct reports are “effective in the behaviors and skills that drive excellent performance by the finance function.” The title of CFO.com’s article gave away the answer: Finance Leaders Bemoan Talent Shortage. NotContinue reading “Finance managers are human”

Light’s effect on integrity and honesty

Following an earlier post about how clean smells were correlated with more ethically minded decision making is this HBR post about good lighting encouraging the same thing: In one laboratory experiment, we placed participants in a dimly or well-lit room and asked them to complete 20 math problems under time pressure. The participants received aContinue reading “Light’s effect on integrity and honesty”

Canada’s government announces Start-Up Visa Program

Canada’s federal government recently announced a Start-Up Visa Program aimed at attracting international entrepreneurs to the country. Overall it is sending the right message to global entrepreneurs, that Canada welcomes them and their ideas in the hopes of creating jobs in here in an area of growth. I hope it won’t create an uneven playingContinue reading “Canada’s government announces Start-Up Visa Program”