tweets

Unplugged

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How, or even whether, finance executives “unplug” while on vacation has been a hot topic this summer. 

In June, CFO.com reported survey results from Robert Half Management Resources …

More than two-thirds, 69%, said they typically check in with work at least once or twice a week during their summer vacations, only a slight dip from the 74% tallied five years ago. Thirty-three percent of those surveyed check in at least once a day and sometimes more. Only about a quarter said they don't check in at all.

With only 26% of CFOs reporting that they unplug totally on vacations, Accounting SmartPros listed five tips to help finance executives plan their unplugged getaways.

Interestingly, a tweet from one of my followers in mid-summer said this …

My wife and I, on vacation, kids asleep, sitting on the couch, & what are we doing? Checking our Twitter feeds on our phones!

Although they weren’t “working,” they weren’t unplugged either. It describes our new culture of constant connectedness which is somewhat anti-socially social. 

Our poll at SmartBrief for CFOs last week asked about being unplugged during vacations. It apparently struck a nerve with that audience, eliciting a very high number of responses. While the numbers were quite similar to the RHMR survey, I found the 25% who said they were really just working in a vacation environment very telling.

That response may speak to a bigger story … and that is succession planning. The most brilliant of leaders are always grooming their successor (and I by no means am implying anything here). While this doesn’t preclude a CFO from having to handle a major issue while on vacation, it might allow him to feel confident that short of a “true emergency,” he, his company, and his career are all on solid footing while he’s incommunicado. And that security and freedom to totally get away can be a much needed refresh and recharge for finance leaders today.

The truth is that ensuring you have a well-groomed successor, rather than being a threat to your position, actually frees you to make the next move in your career, adds to your leadership skill set, and looks great on your resume. 

With Labor Day and the end of summer right around the corner, what can you put into place today that will allow you to have a fully, unplugged mental health holiday on your next vacation?

C-Tweeting for CFOs

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I love the micro-blogging platform of Twitter.  While my CFOs have been slow to adopt this technology, those of you who do will be seen as much more cutting-edge. Whether your tweets are external with other thought leaders, customers or clients, suppliers, and competitors or internal with senior staff and employees, being an early adopter can differentiate and distinguish you from the competition. 

Because of my strong opinions about the benefits of Twitter, the topic was included in my keynote presentation at Prophix. Here’s an excerpt:

But seriously, even in a small company, executives can be cut off from their most important constituencies, such as employees and customers. Corporate leaders can use Web 2.0 tools, like Twitter, not only to communicate but also to learn from employees, suppliers, customers, competitors, and the public. Many corporations spend large sums to determine how they are viewed. Plugging into the blogosphere or listening to feedback on Twitter … offers a more effective and cost-efficient customer relationship management strategy.

And upon my return, I stumbled across this great article from a CEO who tweets. Read it, and then get active in the twit-o-sphere!


Tweets from the Kennedy Recruiting Conference

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The Kennedy Recruiting Conference was held in Orlando last week and while I wasn't able to attend, some of the recruiters who tweet kept us updated. Here are some interesting stats tweeted last week:

—LinkedIn adds 35,000 new members daily. 41 is average age.

–If MySpace was a country it would have the 11th largest population in the world.

–11% of all all Internet time is spent on MySpace compared to 2% spent on Google.

–36% of CEO's lack confidence in their own company's recruiting department.

–90% of revenue earned by job boards comes from job posting and resume searching. Commodity products. They will go away.

I'll post some other comments, along with my thoughts about the statements, in the next day or two. Stay tuned!