On Majoring in the Majors...

Jim has a rare ability to zoom in and zoom out of specific topics really quickly.  He explained it as "majoring in the majors". 

Episode 1: After going through the GSSM-to-Divisions transition, Jim knew I was getting somewhat overwhelmed with the task at hand.  The need to pivot the business, bringing along leaders who were just stepping up, and blending finance and operations into a single cohesive unit.  He explained that I need to develop the skill of focusing on things critical to the business, and spend lesser time on minor elements.  Addressing cultural differences between finance+ops, and being the adult in the room of leaders that are just stepping up - were more key than pivoting reports.

Episode 2: More recently, in my current role, one aspect I am working to address classification of expenses so our financials can be benchmarked against peers.  It involves identifying the right peers, understanding their accounting policies for expense classification, etc.  His comment was - this might seem a little bit of a mundane exercise, maybe weedy (read: into the weeds), but is a critical exercise.  Probably inconsequential right now, but it will start to become important as you grow.  In our common place of work, we didn't do a great job of classifying some expenses.  While we could explain it every time, that is not a discussion you probably want to have.  We didn't fix it, and it became a challenge when the activist investor entered our stock - because they wanted to optimize that line item. 

In simple terms, there are going to be things that will seem critical, impactful (sometimes mundane).  These can become time sucks, but as a finance leader, it becomes key to figuring out where you spend time, how much time, and how much detail you get into.  If you know your tendencies, you need to catch yourself and course correct - focus on the majors.