#168 The CFO Putting Strategy into Action with Multi-Award Winning Author Thomas D. Zweifel

Kevin Appleby interviews Thomas Zweifel about his career as an author and consultant. Thomas explains that he writes books based on mistakes he has made working with clients in different cultures and industries so that others can learn from his experiences. Thomas is an award-winning author. Some of the books he mentioned writing include Culture Clash, about mistakes made working in different cultures, and Strategy into Action. His most recent book, Gorilla in the Cockpit, discusses how biases at the start of projects can lead them to fail. Their discussion touches on the importance of culture when executing strategy. Thomas talks about discovering the “bottle” of underlying assumptions that guide an organization’s thinking. He also emphasizes that the CFO has a key role to play in determining what activities are still relevant to the strategy and saying no to things that are obsolete. When discussing strategy in an uncertain world, Thomas advocates for his “Strategy and Action” approach of focusing on catalytic 100-day projects rather than multi-year plans. This allows organizations to test ideas quickly and adjust course if needed. Other topics covered include biases that can derail projects from the start, focusing each day on meaningful accomplishments, and using displays and routines to keep teams oriented towards strategic goals. Throughout, Thomas emphasizes examining assumptions and standing in the future as keys to strategic execution. Links Dr Thomas D Zweifel on LinkedIn Kevin Appleby on LinkedIn GrowCFO Best Practice Accelerator – Deliver Your Business Growth Plan Free video training with Thomas: 4 Secrets for Realizing All Your Commitments (Professional, Financial, Personal) with Freedom, Power and Peace of Mind. Thomas’ Books on Amazon UK and USA Timestamps Introducing Thomas Zweifel (0:11) Strategy execution and leadership challenges. (0:20) Project failures and biases in decision-making. (4:02) Unconscious biases in decision-making in business. (8:18) Strategy execution and cultural analysis. (12:09) Strategy and decision-making in a rapidly changing world. (17:02) Productivity tips for putting strategy into action. (24:14) Time management and productivity strategies for leaders. (28:28) Find out more about GrowCFO If you enjoyed this podcast, you can subscribe to the GrowCFO Show with your favourite podcast app. The GrowCFO show is listed in the Apple podcast directory, Google Podcasts, Spotify and many others. Why not subscribe there today? That way, you never miss an episode. GrowCFO is a great place to extend your professional network. You can join GrowCFO as a free member today and participate in our regular networking events and webinars.  Premium members can also access our extensive training centre and CFO Digital Toolkit. Here, you can enrol in our flagship Future CFO or Finance Leader programmes.  You can find out more and join today at growcfo.net