Into the Boardroom


Book Description

Mysterious and powerful, for decades America's boardrooms have remained closed to all but a handful of director in the club. Now, former Fortune 500 exectuves Dorothy Light and Kathleen Pushor reveal an insider's look at what goes on in the boardroom and how you can get ther. CEOs and directors of some of America's most prestigious corporations share their stories of what really goes on behind closed dorrs, who gets selected to sit on a board and who doesn't, and why being a part of this influential group should be the goal of today's up and coming executives, professionals, and community leaders.




Inside the Boardroom


Book Description

Distinguished governance experts offer cures for what ails our boards of directors In light of corporate malfeasance in recent years, the governance of corporations has been receiving great attention from regulators, researchers, shareholders, and directors themselves. Based on Richard Leblanc's in-depth five-year study of 39 boards of directors of both for- and not-for-profit organizations, Building a Better Board goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner workings of boards of directors, including how they make decisions. Recently chosen as one of Canada's "Top 40 Under 40"(TM), Dr Richard Leblanc is an award-winning teacher and researcher, certified management consultant, professional speaker, professor, lawyer and specialist on boards of directors. He can be reached at [email protected]. James Gillies, PhD (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), is Professor Emeritus at the Schulich School of Business, York University, where he serves as Chair of the Canada-Russia Corporate Governance Program.




Board-Seeker


Book Description

This is the first practical guide written specifically to help board-ready leaders and executives gain the knowledge, resources, and confidence to shape their successful personal "onboarding" program. Assess the experience you've gained that makes you valuable to a board (there's more than you think). Shape this into a powerful outreach portfolio, including a board resume, online image, and personal pitch. Gain the allies and mentors you'll need (especially your boss), and build a targeted board network. Learn step-by-step how board searches really happen, and how to master each stage. Prepare for the board interview and vetting process, and get ready for your first board meeting.




Boardroom Realities


Book Description

Praise for Boardroom Realities "Authored by a 'who's who' roster of governance experts, Boardroom Realities covers the latest trends in board leadership and performance as well as talent management for the board and the C-suite all critical topics for any director serious about board service today." Kenneth Daly, president and CEO, National Association of Corporate Directors "If leadership and effectiveness in the boardroom were important in a more benign environment, they're absolutely vital in today's tumultuous times. Boardroom Realities provides a modern and detailed road map to help steer chairmen, CEOs, and boards through these uncharted governance waters." Peter Weinberg, partner, Perella Weinberg Partners "Jay Conger's Boardroom Realities offers a unique perspective on governance through leadership, rather than compliance, and should compel all directors to revisit the focus of board deliberations, especially at this time of unprecedented economic and financial turmoil." Alison A. Winter, cofounder, WomenCorporateDirectors, and a corporate director for Nordstrom, Inc. "Boardroom Realities is a very comprehensive compilation of useful insights on key issues that boards must deal with every day. It's an excellent resource for board members as well as members of management who must work together to ensure good governance on behalf of shareholders." Ronald D. Sugar, chairman of the board and CEO, Northrop Grumman Corporation "Jay Conger has collected critical insights and the latest thinking on board leadership from many of today's foremost governance thinkers. Boardroom Realities is a must for your board and for any comprehensive corporate governance library." Ralph D. Ward, publisher, Boardroom INSIDER, and author, The New Boardroom Leaders




From Storeroom to Boardroom


Book Description

***BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS 2022 SHORTLISTED TITLE*** An insider’s view of the challenges that big businesses face in the developing world: the opportunities, pitfalls, political and personal challenges involved. Babs Omotowa has spent his life rejecting the status quo. His own career disproves the unthinking perception that Africans underperform in global businesses, and his insistence that issues such as community development, corruption, transparency and pollution belong on the corporate agenda alongside financial targets has helped big businesses to revolutionize their approach in the developing world. The remarkable story of ‘Hurricane Babs’ – from storeroom keeper to global VP – showcases the issues that big businesses face in developing countries and reveals how multinational companies and leaders can best navigate these challenges: with integrity and courage.




Get on Board


Book Description

Directors, chairpersons, executives, recruiters, and other professionals who assist corporate boards all agree that becoming a corporate director is a journey. The process may take one to five years and involves a lot of learning, networking, and strategic positioning. In other words, just like everything worth pursuing, it involves a lot of hard work! Yes, there are occasional glimpses of luck, but there are no magical moments, invisible hands, or other miracles. Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat is a practical beginner’s guide for anyone considering becoming a director, from young professionals seeking corporate board service in the distant future to seasoned professionals contemplating an imminent career change. This book demystifies the process, breaks down the steps, and answers the most common questions about corporate board service. It also provides examples of successful corporate director biographies and resumes. Finally, it shares actionable strategies and worksheets to help identify your unique value proposition, elevate your profile, and refine your networking strategy. You can use all of this information to start your corporate board journey today. After reading this book, you will be convinced that corporate board service is within your reach—and will be ready to pursue it actively!




Corporate Concinnity in the Boardroom


Book Description

If the gears of governance no longer drive growth and profitability in your company, Corporate Concinnity in the Boardroom will serve as the manual to get you back on track. Today’s companies and their boards of directors are operating in increasingly complex and risky environments. As a result, the who and the what of governance work has begun to change to better enable boards to advise, support, and challenge the C-suite. While such changes are necessary and a critical step in the right direction, they are far from sufficient. The way boards and company management work together must evolve as well, not only to navigate the risks of complexity and change, but also to create and take advantage of the opportunities inherent in them. Corporate Concinnity in the Boardroom: 10 Imperatives to Drive High Performing Companies directly addresses the way to foster effective boardroom-C-suite collaboration. It provides a new framework for corporate governance that creates concinnity—an elegant and delicate integration of the perspectives, guidance, and experiences that provide a platform for the powerful progress critical to successful governance teams. True concinnity retains the honesty and raw energy that drive successful boards while eschewing the command and control model of governance that plagues too many boardrooms. Falls’s 10 imperatives bring together the key pieces of wisdom she has gathered during her career. She shines a light on the importance of clarity around roles and responsibilities, flexibility and creative adaptation during problem solving, and harmonious interpersonal dynamics in times of both upheaval and growth. When these pieces are in place, the gears of boardroom concinnity operate so smoothly we barely notice they’re turning. But if the gears of governance no longer drive growth and profitability in your company, Corporate Concinnity in the Boardroom will serve as the manual to get you back on track.




The Great Chair


Book Description

The Great Chair speaks to a single issue—why board chairs are more important than ever for effective governance. This book tackles board leadership fundamentals, such as: • How effective board chairs engage colleagues to reach consensus, • How effective chairs lead the board so the board, in turn, fosters organizational effectiveness, • The trick to ensuring a focus on the highest priorities, • And—critically—how to build and sustain trust with the CEO and within the board. With nearly four decades of experience with the good, bad, and ugly of the board universe, Brian Hayward hones in on practical ways to develop the thinking and behaviour necessary for anyone taking this seat. Through real-life examples, and stories featuring Paul McCartney, Kalahari bushmen, Robert Maxwell, camels, Buddhist parables, and the Boeing 737 Max, readers will see how chairing a board requires leadership competency of its own (distinct from being a director). See what skills differentiate mediocre chairs from a truly great ones. The Great Chair has take-home value—with practical checklists you can use—and a personal development roadmap for you to develop the key skills central to effectively engaging individuals and groups. If you are on a personal journey that may include becoming a board chair—whether the organization exists for profit, and whether it is corporate, family, venture, public agency, or charity in form—The Great Chair was written for you.




Follow These Leaders


Book Description

What if you could gather the smartest people you know into one room and ask them anything? Who would be there? What would you ask? Most likely you would want a wide range of advisors who had been there and done that; people who succeeded. You'd want their sage advice on business and life drawn from their real-life experiences.




Boards That Lead


Book Description

Is your firm’s board creating value—or destroying it? Change is coming. Leadership at the top is being redefined as boards take a more active role in decisions that once belonged solely to the CEO. But for all the advantages of increased board engagement, it can create debilitating questions of authority and dangerous meddling in day-to-day operations. Directors need a new road map—for when to lead, when to partner, and when to stay out of the way. Boardroom veterans Ram Charan, Dennis Carey, and Michael Useem advocate this new governance model—a sharp departure from what has been demanded by governance activists, raters, and regulators—and reveal the emerging practices that are defining shared leadership of directors and executives. Based on personal interviews and the authors’ broad and deep experience working with executives and directors from dozens of the world’s largest firms, including Apple, Boeing, Ford, Infosys, and Lenovo, Boards That Lead tells the inside story behind the successes and pitfalls of this new leadership model and explains how to: • Define the central idea of the company • Ensure that the right CEO is in place and potential successors are identified • Recruit directors who add value • Root out board dysfunction • Select a board leader who deftly bridges the divide between management and the board • Set a high bar on ethics and risk With a total of eighteen checklists that will transform board directors from monitors to leaders, Charan, Carey, and Useem provide a smart and practical guide for businesspeople everywhere—whether they occupy the boardroom or the C-suite.