Shannon Tatz

What does a CFO really do? 🤔 HINT: It's not just about spreadsheets and financial reports. Over my last 25+ years as a CFO in Silicon Valley, I've developed a Leadership Framework for CFOs and am now applying the same framework to any C-level leader). This Leadership Framework goes well beyond the numbers and get’s quickly into mastering the four key quadrants for successful leading your company and teams from the very early days to your own successful outcomes. My 4 quadrants of leadership are: Strategy: Communicating a compelling vision, setting clear goals, and defining a roadmap for the future. Decision-Making Culture: Creating agile decision-making systems, thinking in bets, and course-correcting as needed. Leadership Culture: Fostering ownership, leading with purpose, and connecting the "why" with the "how." Communicating for Influence: Extending your impact through storytelling, communication, and powerful questions. For a full unpacking of my Leadership Framework, check out my latest blog post where I define each quadrant: https://lnkd.in/gMgUuexr #CFO #Leadership #Strategy #DecisionMaking #Culture #Influence

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There are too many terrific quotes in this article to simply copy and paste. Leadership lessons around changing culture (evolution vs revolution), breaking down silos, internal problem solvers versus external, and the importance and power for and of people - employees and clients. The online version actually more than the print in both text and photos. #leadership

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Big News! 🎉 Pave has partnered with Greenhouse Software to introduce Offer Insights in beta. With real-time insights based on current market offers, comp and talent leaders can make decisions based on where the job market is headed, versus where the market has been. 📈 Major shifts in job trends are already here—read all about it on CNBC! Here’s my top takeaway: Not all engineering jobs are created equal—some can build AI. Machine learning engineers saw offer values rise 25% between Q1 '23 and Q1 ’24, while software engineering generalists only saw a 4% boost during that time. Curious what other roles comp leaders will be stretching their budgets for in 2025? Check out our report and coverage on CNBC—links in the comments below. Interested in our other hot takes on today’s trending jobs? Check out our report and coverage on CNBC—links in the comments below. Link: https://lnkd.in/gSxBq64U (and thanks CNBC for featuring us!)

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What does a CFO really do? 🤔 It's much more than just “owning the numbers”. After 25+ years of being a CFO in Silicon Valley, I've crystallized a Leadership Framework for CFO’s that goes beyond spreadsheets and powerpoints. What you need are critical leadership frameworks and a few plays to call from my “Best Of” playbooks that covers the field in four critical leadership quadrants. Mastering these four key quadrants are critical for your leadership: Strategy: Crafting a vision, setting clear goals, and defining a roadmap for the future. Decision-Making Culture: Creating agile systems, thinking in bets, and course-correcting as needed. Leadership Culture: Fostering ownership, leading with purpose, and building high-performing teams. Influence: Leading with influence, not just authority, through storytelling and communication. In my 1st blog post, I defined “Mastery” as “Learning It”, “Doing It”, and “Coaching It”. This isn't just theory. These are the same techniques used to master anything whether on the field as a player or on the sideline as a coach. What I’ve learned behind the scenes in Silicon Valley in scaling companies like Intuit, Netflix and Mozilla (Firefox) is now ready to be shared here more broadly. Head over to my new blog, Cook's Playbooks, where over the next 100+ weeks, we’ll be diving deeper into each quadrant and better creating a conversation around these topics using various other communication tools. Let's redefine what it means to be a business leader in the modern era! 💼 Read my full blog post here: https://lnkd.in/gMgUuexr #leadership #cfo #communication #influence #decisionmaking #scaling

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👂 The Power of Active Listening: More Than Just Hearing 👂 Today, I want to spotlight a fundamental yet often overlooked skill that has profoundly impacted my professional journey and the dynamics of my team: Active Listening. In a world brimming with constant communication, truly listening—to understand, not just to respond—can seem like a rare art. Yet, it's this very skill that forms the bedrock of effective communication and trust-building in any professional setting. Why Active Listening? Building Trust: When team members feel heard, they feel valued. This doesn’t just build individual trust; it weaves a fabric of mutual respect across the team. Enhancing Understanding: Active listening promotes clearer understanding by allowing us to absorb and interpret the full message being communicated. This clarity reduces conflicts and misunderstandings, paving the way for more effective teamwork. In my own role, prioritizing active listening has transformed how we operate. By truly listening to my team, acknowledging their insights, and responding thoughtfully, I've seen a remarkable shift. Our team doesn’t just function; it thrives. Team members feel more empowered and engaged because they know their voices are not just heard—they are appreciated and acted upon. How to Practice Active Listening? Fully Focus: Give the speaker your undivided attention. Put aside distracting thoughts and devices. Show That You're Listening: Use your body language to convey attentiveness through nodding, eye contact, and leaning forward. Provide Feedback: Our personal biases can distort what we hear. Reflect and ask questions to clarify and confirm understanding. Defer Judgment: Interrupting is a no-go. Allow the speaker to finish before forming judgments or crafting responses. Respond Appropriately: Be candid, open, and honest in your response. Assertive communication reflects respect for yourself and the speaker. Implementing active listening within my team has not only enhanced our productivity but has also fostered an environment where innovation and creativity are the norms. Every member feels confident in contributing ideas, knowing they will be met with an earnest effort to understand, not just a passive nod. 🔊 I’d love to hear from you! How has active listening made a difference in your professional relationships or team dynamics? #ActiveListening #EffectiveCommunication #LeadershipSkills #ProfessionalDevelopment #TeamBuilding

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If you're at that inflection point where you are knee-deep in trying to hire (or figuring out who is the right fit or what position you need to bring in), check out Melissa Carson's free workshop series!

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Feedback is critical in growing as a person. These are great pointers from Tane Jillings on how to implement a sound feedback framework into your life and career.

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Over the past year, we've been busy building the most seamless payroll and compliance platform for founders. Today, we're announcing another major step in that direction. Enter our Worker's Comp product. More on why this is big deal below: What is Worker's Comp? Worker's comp is a type of insurance that protects the Employer and Employees in case there's a job related injury. If you're hiring and paying people in the US, most states require some form of Worker's Compensation insurance. These are often mandatory Do I need Worker's Comp? If you're a startup founder with at least 1 non-owner Employee, chances are you need to get Worker's Comp asap. What happens if I don't get Worker's Comp? You get a letter from the state saying your business is in violation of department of labor rules, and you are being fined $5K-$20K. This really happens. All the time. How does Warp make it easy to protect against these penalties? With our new Worker's Comp product, Warp can now - detect when your startup needs this insurance - alert you ahead of time - allow you to get covered in 5 mins We've partnered with Next Insurance – the # 1 modern insurance company in the space – to easily get you the coverage you need. The best part is that it's fully integrated with your payroll and team data. Any changes to your team's makeup or wages are auto-synced to your Worker's Comp, eliminating the need for manual uploads. If you're a startup founder who's ever gotten one of those scary notices from the state, or you just want to protect your company going forward, feel free to check us out Warp, or just DM me.

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Congrats to the team at Luster on their launch day! I'm so proud of my dear friend Christina Brady for helping to pave the way for this new company! Learn more about Luster below or give the Co-Founding team Christina Brady, Jodi Mesa, and Wes Craig a follow to learn more! --- What if… You could foresee the training, coaching, and ingrainment gaps down to the individual’s skill or stage in the sales process before it ever impacts a deal? And address it before it erodes your revenue and relationship? Today is the day, @Luster has officially launched! Enter the era of Predictive Enablement™ . With Luster’s AI powered practice platform, they harness the power of Predictive Enablement™ to uncover, track, and measure skill proficiency for every customer facing employee at your organization, and provide a seamless and stunning method to address and close skill gaps before they ever impact your revenue. The brilliance of mastery is achieved through perfect practice, combined with data and strategy. The future of Enablement is predictive and proactive. Achieve that shine, today, with @Luster.

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🎤 "It cannot be my job to make you read your email." --- 2 minutes earlier: the CEO had run over to our VP's office and said "I just heard that this [big] decision changed. Why didn't you tell me? How could you make such a major change without talking to me first?" My VP listened to him complain for a few minutes. She nodded, smiled, and said "I emailed you about this two weeks ago." CEO: "Well I didn't see your email!" VP: 🎤 --- At Axios HQ, we know that even important emails can get lost in the "cockroach of the internet" that is your inbox. So when I send important updates to my CEO, not only do they stick out in his inbox - but I can actually see whether he's opened them or not, in real time.  Yes, and: Axios HQ will automatically resend the email to anyone who hasn't opened it after a few days. And it will never be my job to make him read his email! - Check out Axios HQ's email analytics https://lnkd.in/ghy2CJfk

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“He just took it off my plate. I LOVED it.” A CEO shared this glowing review with me about one of his executives. What did the executive do? It seems so simple. He was proactive. I’ll share more below with a little context. 📜 Context The CEO had an upcoming company All Hands meeting where he planned to share the state of the business as usual. Normally, he would find the last version of the presentation, copy and clean it up, assign sections to other leaders, and then start work on his section. As he was about to begin his routine, one of his leaders beat him to it. The executive had already copied the old deck, started cleaning it up, and rallied others to take their sections. All the CEO had to do was focus on his part. The CEO loved it. That’s when he made the above comment. It removed something from his very full plate and demonstrated the executive’s initiative and foresight. ⚡ Learning Being proactive isn’t just about removing a task; it’s about reading the situation, showing understanding and taking initiative. That's demonstrative leadership. We build trust and confidence when we anticipate what our leader or teammate or organization needs and then meet it. It also helps me grow because I have to think like the next level up. Sure we’ll miss the mark sometimes, but it’s a fun and never-ending pursuit of learning and improvement. It's also a rising tide. When one team member steps up and takes the lead on a project, it elevates the whole team and inspires others to do the same in a virtuous cycle. "See a need, fill a need." Proactive thinking combined with a bias to action is a game-changer in any organization. Here’s to being proactive! #Proactive #BiasToAction #Leadership #Team Repost ♻️ if you like. PS- photo is me trying to be proactive handing my son tools on a job.. but largely failing and taking pictures instead 😂

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Over the years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of strategic compensation planning. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about empowering our people and driving organizational excellence. Let’s delve into why compensation planning matters and how to craft a plan that resonates with both employees and the bottom line. https://ukg.inc/3TWFfq7 #WeAreUKG #Compensation #Payroll #SMB

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When I feel my work-life balance is out of whack, time management is often the culprit. Here are some tips that have worked for me over the years and gotten me back in balance: 1. Prioritize your tasks: Each day define the 3 most important things to accomplish. 2. Set boundaries: Define specific work hours and stick to them. Avoid checking work emails or messages outside these hours when possible. 3. Delegate tasks: Don't hesitate to delegate tasks to others if you have the option. Delegation can help lighten your workload and free up time for other priorities. 4. Schedule breaks: Block out breaks in your daily schedule to recharge. A simple work-out routine, dog walk, or sitting outside can help reset your focus. 5. Practice mindfulness: Incorporate mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or meditation, into your daily routine. This can help reduce stress and improve your overall well-being. 6. Ask for help: If you're feeling overwhelmed, don't hesitate to ask for help from colleagues, friends, or family. It helps foster mutual collaboration. 7. Use technology: Use tools and apps to streamline tasks and manage your time more efficiently. For example, use calendar apps to schedule tasks and set reminders, or use AI to create a draft document. By implementing even a few of these time management tips, can help you create a healthier work-life balance and improve your overall quality of life. Remember, it's important to prioritize self-care and make time for activities that bring you joy, for me it's time with horses!

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Consultants: are you scrubbing in or spectating? I'll never forget when a fractional CFO we'd hired casually mentioned that our company swag budget had gone up to $14,000 over the past month and proceeded to flip to the next tab. "Uhh.... WHAT? Can we go back?" He flipped back, dug through 12 more tabs. "Yeah, that's a 14k charge to Amazon." He radiated lack of concern verging on boredom. But it was Amazon.... Web Services. Our freaking application, not sweatshirts. Though it took me a while to define what a fractional product officer could be, I was inspired on that day to one day do that work. Because I could never care as little as that guy. I could never just sit in the observation gallery, I would always want to scrub in and really help. #fractional #SaaS #productmanagement #consulting

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If any of my clients are interested in paying me a $9.9M bonus, I would be okay with it. New or existing. Perhaps even a $4M bonus, considering I'm a fractional CFO and not full-time. I feel like that's a reasonable concession. #capitisadvisors #fractionalCFO #CFO #smallbusinesses #finance #budgetyourbusinesspodcast

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If you have exceeded 2M in annual revenue, there are 4 things you probably haven’t figured out causing you to plateau… People management, reporting, auditing, coaching. At scale, the #1 issue that causes stagnation is a decrease in standards. IE- As you add more people, the lever of performance in your business goes down… Causing higher rates of churn, more fires to put out, more stress, more employee turnover and then… You’re in a vicious cycle, what I refer to as the prisoners flywheel. My solve, the FAB 5. Take a look at it below 👇

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As we approach month-end, a friendly reminder: Please submit all outstanding timecards! A familiar message, but why are timecards so crucial? Timecards do more than track utilization—they're vital for your company's financial performance. Here's how: ++ Fixed Fee Projects ++ Timecards help your accounting team estimate each project's percent completion. This calculation is crucial for recognizing revenue accurately. For example, if a project is sold for 1,000 hours at $180/hour, totaling $180,000, each hour you record directly impacts revenue recognition. With 154 hours recorded, you'd recognize 15.4% completion, equating to $27,720 in revenue. Missing timecards mean potentially unrecorded revenue, affecting your financial targets. ++ Time and Materials (T&M) Projects ++ Here, timecards directly impact cash flow. Using the same project parameters, if 154 hours are worked but not recorded, your Billing team can't invoice $27,720 to the client—directly affecting both revenue and cash flow. While tracking every hour might seem tedious or like micromanagement, each entry plays a crucial role in your company's financial health.

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🌿 Finding Balance: The Key to Mental Health and Recharging 🌿 As we wrap up another bustling week, I want to take a moment to talk about something crucial yet often overlooked—our mental health. In the relentless pursuit of professional goals, it’s easy to forget the importance of pausing, reflecting, and recharging. Taking time for yourself isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. It's about giving your mind and body the break they need to maintain resilience and sustain your long-term productivity and creativity. For me, the best way to recharge is by riding and spending time with horses. Whether it’s the feel of the wind, the rhythm of the ride, or simply being in nature, it’s where I find peace and restore my energy. And yes, this is a photo I took of a horse I know. This weekend, I encourage you to find that activity that rejuvenates your spirit. Maybe it's reading a book, going for a run, or spending quality time with loved ones. Whatever it is, make it a priority. Your mental health is just as important as any item on your to-do list. 💬 I'd love to hear from you! What’s your go-to activity to unwind and recharge? Share your experiences and let's remind each other of the importance of taking personal time. Have a great weekend everyone, and remember to take a moment for yourself! #MentalHealthAwareness #WorkLifeBalance #SelfCare #Recharge #ProfessionalWellbeing

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When I started my career, I was always intimidated by executives talking about “important” things I never fully understood. Something like “the firm’s strategic focus on reducing OpEx has led to an overhaul of our operational efficiency metrics.” My tendency was always to nod along. “That’s just how executives talk,” I told myself. Maybe my shyness came from my engineering background, where success hinged on my ability to work out my own solutions. But at some point, the terms weren’t scary anymore. I understood all of them. Looking back, I know the difference was experience, but it took me years to get there. Too long. Here are my three takeaways: 💡 Curiosity and the desire to learn are strengths, not weaknesses Starting out in my career, I was too shy and intimidated to ask questions or leverage outside resources and teammates. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that curiosity is a skill. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to look foolish. You’ll learn faster, and people will respect your candidness. Today, I make it a point to welcome questions during meetings. Pro tip: If you don’t understand something, consider going to your manager or a teammate after a meeting and saying, “I didn’t quite understand this. Could you please take a minute to explain this to me?” 💡  Don’t gatekeep with your language A reminder to leaders: Sometimes, we get stuck in our jargon because we’ve been in the industry for so long or that language is ingrained in our culture, but we inadvertently create a barrier to newer employees. In any communication, it helps to be as clear as possible, bringing conversations down to the simplest language for inclusivity. 💡  Create a culture where it’s safe to ask questions A call to leaders: Lead by example. Ask questions when you don’t know something, and encourage others to speak up if they don’t understand a topic. You can create designated Slack channels for questions or hold Q&A sessions on Zoom. When you create a safe place where employees can freely ask questions without judgment, learning will accelerate and results will follow. #HRtech #womenintech #marketing #leadership

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