Money makes the world go ‘round, but can you tell your organisation’s “money story”—how it generates revenue and profits, maximises cash flow and steers clear of trouble? Not the practiced version that is supplied to the company’s investors, but the actual per unit economics, the metrics indicating the financial viability of the organisation, what is working well and what needs to be improved, and when to hit the brakes or pound the accelerator?

Muting the ability to precisely tell these tales are what we are calling the Seven Stiflers, which we introduce one by one in this report. Each stifler limits leadership’s ability to know what is going on in the organisation to make informed, insightful and assertive decisions that drive profitable business growth. The outcome is often dire—lost market share, slow growth, and the inevitable crash that occurs when flying blind.