150 part 2

I came across this article also which I found interesting, it again tells the story of Dunbar's number in a bit more detail ( and much better) than I did.

http://www.thersa.org/fellowship/journal/features/features/the-magic-number

Talent Management

As I work in an SME environment, I am continually faced with market pressures on wage rates to attract, retain, motivate and reward talent. This is not easy when you are up against the big boys, but working for an SME does have advantages in terms of career management. see

http://www.lenejones.com/download/Employment Policies.doc

Chaos

Is it true that a large chunk of strategic thinking is generated by the CEO and CFO and is based on their instinctive reaction to perceived Chaos (aka Change)?When such reaction become kneejerk, misdirection occurs and the planned re direction becomes chaotic. Constant change (aka Chaos) is an energetic environment within business and managing the Corporate Energy levels is a key component of (dis)equilibrium management, with the Accountant continually striving to bring order out of the Chaos.
Chaos can be refreshing not exhaustive, so re frame it as planned change and find the longer term alignment of the Corporate Strategy and the Change strategy
The FD should be Change ready but, true to his instinct, he should constantly and consistently bring his training to bear and create order.
Get into the mentality that Chaos is healthy, but like everything else, only in moderation, so do we need a touch of Chaos from time to time to keep us on our toes and remind us of our true value(s)?

for a more in depth version of this blog see
www.lenejones.com/download/disequilibrium.doc

getting rid of the CEO

The CFO and the CEO have to work closely, but what happens when the CEO has to be told he no longer has the confidence of the Board or indeed his performance is so below expectations that departure is inevitable, here is my take on this particular problem see
www.lenejones.com/download/Losingtheplot.doc