CFO Bookshelf Mark Gandy

I have my theories on why W. Edwards Deming is not a household name in 'all' business circles. Many view him as the 'quality' guy who had an impact on Japanese manufacturing after the Second World War.

That view is limiting as Deming's management mindset was complete with four central tenets:
PragmatismThe Law of VariationHuman psychologySystems ThinkingI used to recommend Mary Walton's book to start learning about Deming. That book gave way to a new title by Edward Martin Baker. After meeting and interviewing Gene Kim a few months ago, I have a favorite book on Deming by John Willis. The title is Deming's Journey to Profound Knowledge.

John was one of the earliest cloud evangelists and is considered one of the founders of the DevOps movement. John is the author of 7 IBM Redbooks. He is also the co-author of the “DevOps Handbook” and “Beyond the Phoenix Project,” along with author Gene Kim.

During this conversation, we discuss Deming's influences and how he became such a complete thinker about helping others improve.

Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, technology activist, and journalist. He has written many books, most recently The Bezzle, a follow-up to Red Team Blues, which are the two books we'll discuss in this episode.

These two books are the beginning of a series featuring the fictional forensic accountant Martin Hench. Hench is self-employed, loves being on the red team, and rakes in 25% of the assets he can recover.

Cory's books are fast-paced and entertaining but also deeply thought-provoking, especially The Bezzle.

Cory has authored many books, is a long-time blogger and journalist, and hosts a podcast. You can learn more about him at his website, Craphound.

Alfred Sloan's My Years with General Motors was an immediate success and is considered one of the best management books written by CEOs of his era. Before his book, we'd probably have to go back to Henry Ford's autobiography to find a management book of this popularity.

And then there's Harvey Firestone's book, which CFO Bookshelf considers a gem. Originally published in 1926, the great people behind the Farnam Street blog have republished Men and Rubber, and the author's message is as relevant now as when he published it.

During this episode, we hit some of the big themes in this book:
Money, capital, and planningThe key to selling and no superstarsTreating people right and employee ownershipDeep thinking and decision-makingTaking time off and Ford's vagabonds

Gary Stevenson grew up in an impoverished area of East London where he could hold his life's belongings in two arms. About three years after graduating from the London School of Economics, Citibank made him a millionaire at a very young age.

Gary was 'all in' on winning the trading game. But did overnight success bring him happiness? And why did he want to leave the Citibank trading floor?

Gary tells his story in his new book, The Trading Game, which I believe is this era's Liar's Poker, but with more life lessons shared in this special book. Some of the topics explored include:
The reason why it's challenging to get a job on a trading floorGary's childhood and how it influenced his drive to masteryThe reason poor people are looked down upon by the richGary's first day on the trading floor in 2007Profound thoughts on the mindset of a traderThe P&Ls of traders and how they got paidThe meaning of negative 4.5% interest ratesMoney was never Gary's driverHealth and mental stress in TokyoAdvice for kids wanting to be tradersGary's YouTube channelReturn to the classics

Agile, DevOps, TPS, TOC, Deming's System of Profound Knowledge. Is there a mental construct or latticework that connects these robust systems?

In Wiring the Winning Organization, Gene Kim and Steve Spear introduce the concepts of the three layers of work and social circuitry. The book also explains the author's three biggest learning pillars: Simplification, Slowification, and Amplification.

Readers of  Corporate Counsel do not need to be legal professionals to enjoy this short book writen as a business fable.

Anna is leaving a prestigious law firm to become the first in-house lawyer at a regional real estate firm in the Midwest. The book includes drama, conflict, and a grey beard, Anna's guide throughout the story.

Our guest is the author, Peter Carayiannis, and some of the topics we address include:
Anna's first 100 daysThe wrong reason to hire an in-house lawyerThe concept of budgets and #LegalOpsThe Big 3 of risk mitigationDefinitions for ASLP and MLSThe moral authority in a businessA full-scope legal review of all corporate documents