Category: Social & Political Issues

Cautionary Tale About Artificial Intelligence Progress


Don't you worry, dear readers, I am not planning on retelling "The Terminator" plot.  As the matter of fact, the two technological developments I want to discuss are related to the CFOs' and Controllers' supervisory responsibilities.  On the surface (!), they seem to serve a good purpose and could be attractive solutions to some of our common problems.

Every exec with subordinates communicating with financial institutions, investors, key vendors and customers, is vulnerable to their emotional whims, diplomatic abilities and verbal skills.  This is especially true with out favorite mode of communication – emails, which remove the recipients' faces and voices thus making the expression of aggression easier.

I have a list of actual stories to be told about relationship damage caused by employees' spiteful writing.  And it is not like I don't employ prevention strategies.   I give training talks.  I impose a sense of supervision by requesting to be copied on all important communications.  I even write Post-Its and stick them on the worst offenders' monitors, "Please re-read ALL your emails three times before sending them out."  Still, once in a while something happens that requires damage control.

Lo and behold!  In NY Times Year in Ideas I read about ToneCheck – "an e-mail outbox filter that works as a sort of emotional spell-check, offers typists a chance to reconsider their words before" sending their missive.  I watch the cute animated video attached and my first reaction is like "Finally!!! Hooray!!!" 

Then I read further and I forget that I am a CFO with unruly subordinates who require monitoring.  I remember that I am a Person and that Freedom of Speech is an important issue for me.  Yeah, it's useful in the office environment, but this dangerous program has a capacity to be tuned to ANY CONTENT.  I imagine it being installed without my knowledge by my ISP and checking my personal emails for "inappropriate" content as defined by… whoever has the power to do so.  How do you feel about it now?

Here is another common problem and even scarier solution for it.  How many times we catch our employees attending to their personal business or even playing online games during working hours?  We wonder about the hours they waste the costs of it.  Frustrated, we think we should like to watch them.  So, here you go Computers That See You and Keep Watch Over You.  This "wonderful" program sees you and analyzes your facial expressions.  And it can be installed on your personal computer without your knowing it. 

You know what?  I don't want these "solutions." Not even in my office.  Let me work harder with my employees on their work attitude, verbal skills and aggression management.  If boycotting these products means that we can keep them away from invading our personal privacy, then be it.  I hope you click on the links, read about it and agree.    

It's like what Benjamin Franklin said,"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."

He Looks Like an Accountant…


I was on a train a few weeks ago next to a woman reading a mystery novel.  Involuntarily I've glanced at the page and my trained eye spotted the word "accountant."  I couldn't help myself and read a couple of sentences: "Detective Jones came out of his office.  He looked like an accountant. He asked me…."

The "accountant look" has become a social and cultural cliche long time ago.  So, what do people have in mind when they say that?  They mean Charles Grodin in "Dave" and Barry Kivel in "Bound."  They mean Will Ferrell in "Stranger than Fiction" and Gene Wilder in "The Producers," etc.  The numbers of cinematic portrayals available as references is not that large, but the principle idea is clear: they mean, bland, boring, meek. 

7078-4456
And yes, it is unlikely for an accountant to have a blue mohawk or to strut around in red patent leather boots with 4" heels.  An accountant is not expected to stand out even if he is clad in a $3,000 Italian suit. 

But, let me tell you, very-very frequently that nondescript appearance is just a cover.  Like Superman under his Clark Kent persona, an accountant may be hiding a secret identity, an ambition far beyond his outer image.

Charles Grodin's character cracks Presidential budget's problems overnight.  Shelly in "Bound" steals $2 million from Mafia in attempt to incite his boss's beautiful wife to run away with him.  Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) abandons his regimented life as an IRS agent to become a singer.  Both Gene Wilder in "The Producers" and Jack Lemmon in the "Apartment" get the Girl.

Let's push the movies aside for a second.  In real life the accounting profession is responsible for some fascinating alumni: J.P. Morgan, John Grisham, Bob Newhart, Thomas Pickard, Kenny G. (well, maybe we should keep that one in secret).

The front page of this blog  Raison d'etre expresses my firm believe that CFOs and Controllers regardless of their appearances are the cerebral force behind adventurous entrepreneurs.  It's just that our daredevil streaks are tamed by critical reasoning.

Let's come back to the movie references.  Standards for women are different: here we have Cher in "Moonstruck" and Kirstie Alley in "Look Who's Talking" series.

Cher+Moonstruck

 

11ihj8ykeaxoxay 

So, it is Ok for a female accountant to be attractive.  Well, maybe the fact that it is more difficult to stick an accounting label on women is the reason why they don't rise to the positions of the perceived "highest level of success" as frequently as men do.  According to CFO.com, Women CFOs Holding Steady: to be exact, steadily under 9% among both Fortune 500 companies and mid-cap 1500.  You see, they don't "look like accountants."

All I can say is that every time I am in the General Admission pit at a rock concert, the young people around me don't believe that I am a CFO. 


A Canadian Blogger Jailed in Iran


Even though the topic of this AOL News Article Iran's 'Blogfather' Sentenced to Long Prison Term is not related to the topics of CFOs and Controllers' frustrations, it is related to the freedom of expression issues that concern all of us. That is why it should have its place in the spotlight here.

I don't want to diminish the severity of the sentence and the horror of what Mr. Derakhshan is going through in Iran as the result of expressing his thoughts and opinions in cyberspace.  However, essentially everyone who publishes honest and edgy, or even boring and banal, material on internet are exposed to unpredictable consequences. 

In one article, or post, or conversation after another, we are warned that prospective and current employers are searching internet for possible controversial material on you.  So do the political opponents, educational institutions, investors, country clubs, religious congregations, etc, etc. Here is a typical example of such warning provided by the CEO of TheLadders.com Marc Cenedella in his new book "You're Better Than Your Job Search": In a Google World, Prepare to Be Investigated.   Jail sentences in foreign countries are extreme and rare incidents, but we do learn that people get fired, rejected and harassed because they express themselves.

That is the reason so many bloggers are writing under noms de plume.  That is the reason so many people who have something to say don't write at all.  That is the reason I guarantee 100% anonymity to anyone who shares their professional experiences with me. 

And it does not apply just to cyberspace.  One of my future planned posts will address my favorite topic – something I call the Bill of Rights in the Workplace.  There is a reason the new great American masterpiece from Jonathan Franzen is called "Freedom."  Obviously, it is a concern.

And of course, I disagree with Mr. Derakhshan's politics.  Moreover, I am a life-time student of World History and it seems inconceivable to me that any private citizen without diplomatic immunity would actually accept an invitation from any organization sponsored by an authoritarian government.  History is full of actual repatriation incidents that sound like horror stories: China, Russia, etc.

Nevertheless, my disagreement with his ideas, does not mean that I will not support this writer's freedom of expressing them with all my heart.  It's like what Voltaire said, "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it."    


First Impression Is the Most Lasting Indeed


They say that the first impression is the most lasting one.  And it is true even for those people who try very  hard to be fair and give people a chance to show their true qualities. 

I myself is one of those people who make themselves look past the appearance of a job applicant.  Few years ago I have interviewed a woman who was grossly obese and needed a cane to assist her in moving her body.  I knew right away that aside from possible health issues, there could be multitude of other problems: we would need to order her a special X-large chair, my CEO may not like someone like that to be prominently installed in the Operations Department, visiting business relations may be destructed by the sight, etc. etc. 

Nevertheless, I gave her a full interview, which she passed with flying colors, and ended up hiring her.  It never even occurred to me not to offer her the salary attached to the position.  She got paid the same wages anyone in her place would.

Turns out, I am a rare exception.  Please, read this post from Vault's Career Blog Does your weight determine your salary?  The statistical data reported in the article are appalling.

Weight issue aside, my opinion is that when it comes to hiring process the entire "first impression" concept is very unprofessional.  Time after time, hiring execs, recruiters and variety of HR professionals yield to their contrived, closed-minded, self-centered views of other people instead of thinking of what's best for their companies.

Two weeks ago my good friend MJZ, also a career CFO, went for a job interview to a company that provides services to children with learning disabilities and autism under the contracts with various government health agencies.  Since such programs usually become first victims of states and counties budget cuts, the company desperately needs someone who can strategize their way into more diversified revenue models.   MJZ has a vast experience of building such strategies and facilitating companies' growth. 

She has previously had a phone interview and communications with the CEO's personal assistant.  So when in-person interview invitation was received, she assumed it would be with the CEO herself.  However, she was interviewed by a middle-rank HR Manager.  

When she told me that she did not even make it to the next round – the actual interview with the CEO (the HR Manager sent her an email), I've asked for the entire meeting description.  Now, knowing all details, I am confident that the HR Manager's rejection had nothing to do with MJZ's professional qualifications.  It had to do with the fact that she was dressed for an interview with the CEO and instead was assessed by a sweater-and-tights-clad middle-manager. 

The sad result is that the company had missed an opportunity to hire somebody who could have brought them to the next level of development.  Their loss, of course, but nevertheless a disappointing experience for my friend.