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Introduction: Linking day-to-day business execution with year-end results A well-designed executive compensation program not only rewards performance, but also encourages the right behaviors that support the company's long-term goals. Central to this adjustment is the short-term incentive (STI) plan. While base pay provides income stability and long-term incentives support retention and future value creation, it's the annual bonus program that connects day-to-day performance with year-end results. When carefully crafted, an STI plan is a powerful tool for focusing leaders' attention, reinforcing strategic priorities, and translating operational performance into pay results. In the fourth installment of our Executive Compensation Essentials series,…

On May 5, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced proposed rule and form amendments that would allow public companies currently required to file quarterly reports on Form 10-Q to elect to file semiannual reports on the new Form 10-S. As proposed, it would require the same content and financial requirements as the 10-Q, but would take a longer period of six months. The timing of a final rule is unclear, but SEC rulemaking often takes several months after the comment period ends (in this case, July 6, 2026). If the final rule is adopted by the end of…

In an era where the average CFO tenure is shrinking, Dallas Clement has built a 35-year career with Cox Enterprises, holding a CFO title for more than 15 years. From his early days navigating the analog-to-digital media shift to steering a diversified $23 billion enterprise through the age of AI and transformation, Dallas shares how the future of the CFO role is no longer about crunching numbers but about leading with credibility, clarity and calm in times of uncertainty. Clement and host Jack McCullough unpack lessons on mentorship, building high-performing teams, partnering with CEOs and turning personal challenges—like dyslexia—into authentic…

Risk has long been part of board strategy discussions. What's changing today is how much sharper, faster, and more integrated conversations need to be. For directors, the question is not whether risk belongs in the strategy, but how effectively the board is turning risk insights into better decisions. In the 2026 edition of What Directors Think, 47 percent of directors said strategic planning is one of the most pressing topics at their next board meeting, 44 percent cited AI and other digital or technology risks and opportunities, and 32 percent cited financial conditions and macro changes. Equally noteworthy, 47% said…

PE-backed early-stage companies are built on ambition and pushed by pace. Revenues will increase and so will the number of employees. Acquisitions are becoming more realistic sooner than expected. While the system is still maturing, the demand for reporting is increasing. As an early-stage CFO, you're in the middle of that acceleration. We are building structures to scale while conducting operational firefighting operations in real time. Your responsibilities are immediate and far-reaching. You need to achieve a clean close this month while doubling your revenue, maintaining strict board oversight, and building capabilities that can support future deal processes. While the…

Health care costs are taking a toll on American businesses, and perhaps yours as well. That's not hyperbole, it's math. Since 2001, the average annual premium for family health insurance has increased from about $7,100 to nearly $27,000. Single coverage has more than tripled. Starbucks currently pays more in medical bills than it does in coffee beans. Automakers spend more on health care than on steel. The situation is getting worse. Healthcare spending growth in 2026 is expected to be between 8.5 percent and 9.5 percent, the highest in nearly 15 years, according to multiple employer surveys and carrier strategy…

Research reveals three reasons why boards are less effective – Corporate Directors Skip to content Overburdened directors, slow response to risks, and gaps in digital transformation are hindering board performance. Please consider these fixes. Higher expectations for the performance of corporate board members may require a major shift from the way boards have been run in the past. “Board bandwidth and the pace of change are testing board effectiveness,” according to a new study from PwC's Governance Insights Center and The Conference Board. While 41% of executives surveyed rated their companies' boards as excellent or good, the study…

James Patterson knows a thing or two about blowing things up. Before becoming one of the world's best-selling authors, selling more than 425 million books, he was CEO of J. Walter Thompson, one of Madison Avenue's largest advertising firms. While there, he did more than just run a campaign. He disrupted the advertising industry with blatant campaigns like the burger brawl between Burger King and McDonald's. Then one day, at the height of his career, he was commuting into Manhattan and watching people go in the opposite direction. In his mind, he was going in the wrong direction. So he…

Nowadays, most of us have multiple agents running in parallel on our computers. Some people are fixing dozens of broken tests. You won't get bored or frustrated. Continue making adjustments across multiple workers until the test passes again and again. Another agent was experimenting with the backend build process all night. In the morning, while I was sleeping, the time was automatically reduced by 8 minutes. Third, I'm trying to export a financial model to Excel using the correct formulas. Export to Excel, upload to Google Sheets, export to CSV, compare calculated values, fail, adjust, then try again. Over and…

Editor's Note On June 18th, classical minds Chris McChesney and Scott Thele spoke. 4 Discipline of execution spend 90 minutes A group of CEOs and a live working session built around addressing the execution challenges that will define 2026.. All registrants will receive the 2026 Execution Handbook, a pre-work tool designed to work collaboratively with your leadership team, prior to the event. Please bring your true situation. Make a plan and go. Why not join us > Try this before you read another word about running. Before comparing notes, ask each member of the leadership team individually what the single…