Managing remotely is difficult. If you give instructions face to face, people can ask you questions. But when you give instructions by email or phone, the technology can get in the way of clarity.

Online meetings can be tiring and boring without good planning and strong management. In some ways though, online meetings are really just like face to face meetings except that they require firmer management if participants are to remain engaged in the discussion.

Increasingly many people are working away from traditional office environments: working from home or the local café. There are many benefits to this. Organisations save on the cost of office space and often see increased productivity . And employees frequently experience greater job satisfaction. But there are also many challenges associated with remote working that must be overcome.

The purpose of automation is not to dispense with the role of the CFO. Far from it. Rather, it is to free up senior executives from routine tasks, enabling them to focus on activities that add greater value to their organisations.

Technology will cause short-term challenges as old skills become redundant, and some people find it hard to re-skill. But automation, as it gets rid of dull, dirty and dangerous jobs, providing people with jobs that create more value, will benefit society. The challenge for employers is ensuring that workers have the skills they need to flourish in a digital economy.

True innovation is about having commercially realistic ideas about how organisations can change, ideas that you can implement to increase the profitability of your manufacturing capabilities.