When I think of what is ahead for CEOs and board members in 2016 I think of the old Jewish saying: “I ask not for a lighter burden, I ask for broader shoulders.”
I am thankful to my close colleague and editorial advisory board member Jeff Sonnenfeld for sharing this classic plaint with a group of us who attended his Yale CEO Leadership Summit. This was back in the early 2000s, and it was an appropriate sentiment for a troubled time, as corporate America was emerging from the rubble of the dot-com implosion. (Many of you know Jeff for the dynamic work he does as senior associate dean for leadership programs for the Yale School of Management and founder and president of Yale's Chief Executive Leadership Institute.)
When I look at how the stock market has pummeled the shares of public companies in the early part of January, I know that board members are feeling the punches. And we can look around at other things going on that are indicators of troubling times for boards — for example, how regulators are imposing new capital requirements on stalwart providers of financial services (hello, MetLife) that are forcing companies to change their destiny.
The year is barely two weeks old when we can come to the realization that the burden of board service likely is not going to be getting any lighter in the months ahead. So, broader shoulders it is as you enter the boardroom for your 2016 meetings.
And we will be needing broader shoulders here at Directors & Boards as we ramp up the frequency of these e-Briefings. We started out in May 2004 as a monthly newsletter chock-full of governance thought leadership advisories and updates on board-relevant news and research. We are now going bimonthly with this same package of targeted content.
Fortunately I can share that challenge of delivering all this added content and value. Rob Chakler has joined the editorial team here at Directors & Boards. He is playing a leading role in crafting this newsletter — along with the newsletters we generate for the Family Business Magazine and Private Company Director audiences.
Rob and I look forward to making the now bimonthly e-Briefings an essential part of your reading regimen. Feel welcome to contact us at jkristie@directorsandboards.com and rchakler@directorsandboards.com.