Are your facing the dilemma that you need a senior executive's expertise but can only afford a mid-level manager?  Perhaps you should consider timesharing...John

Management idea

Our client was unhappy with the level of reporting she was getting from her Finance Manager.  She needed business advice, more information and less data. Unfortunately her business couldn't afford a true CFO, someone who not only could provide answers to her questions but to the questions she didn't know enough to ask.  Even if she could afford a CFO's compensation, her company could only keep him busy for two or three days a week.  

Did she "settle" for the senior accountant she could afford?  No.  She hired a top notch CFO on a timeshare basis.  The CFO committed to providing seven days a month for a payment equivalent to the senior accountant.  The reporting systems and sage business advice he provided began paying back immediately.  "I'm amazed how much we left on the table all these years! He comes up with a way to save us money every month."

The fact that he was CFO of three different companies, in different industries, at the same time proved to be more of a benefit than disadvantage.  Also, our client was learning how to recognize a quality CFO when she was ready to hire one full time.

RUN WITH THE Big dogS™

Every week the strategic planning facilitators of Myrna Associates interact with the executive teams of the best managed mid-sized companies in America.  The weekly RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS™ newsletter shares an idea generated in one of those meetings. The companion  RUN WITH THE BIG DOGS™ CEO interviews discusses a single management topic with a mid-sized company leader.