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Access more than 500-plus authoritative articles published by Directors & Boards For your convenience, the pop-up menu above provides
quick and easy access to 55 essential reference topics. New articles are
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Article reprints are $10 each. Click to add to shopping cartSpencer Stuart Governance Letters A special feature in every edition of Directors & Boards inaugurated in 1994 in which the executive and director recruiting experts at Spencer Stuart author an advisory on a broad range of board and management matters.  The Audit Committee Under Examination -- From a new report Global Fifty: Perspectives of Leading Audit Committee Chairs, a spotlight on the audit committee's ever-growing challenges, evolving composition, and emerging best practices. By Thomas T. Daniels, Carolyn C. Eadie, E. Peter McLean, and Joel Von Ranson.
Fourth Quarter 2005 [3 page(s)] Seismic Shift in Board Composition -- New opportunities for board service are opening up for next-generation leaders. Executives who would have had little chance of being invited to join a board in the past are very much in demand. By Dennis C. Carey and Nayla Rizk.
Third Quarter 2005 [2 page(s)] Advice to New CEOs: Get the Board on Board -- Effective bridge-building techniques to help a new CEO establish a productive working relationship with the board. 'The first and foremost thing I would tell a new CEO is....' By Thomas Neff and James Citrin.
Second Quarter 2005 [3 page(s)] SSBI 2004: Key Trends Are Driving Board Composition and Pay -- The latest Spencer Stuart Board Index reveals some dramatic changes in board composition in the wake of regulatory reform and the adoption of new best practices in governance. By Julie H. Daum and Thomas J. Neff.
First Quarter 2005 [4 page(s)] The New Rigor in Director Recruiting: 10 Steps to a Smartly Done Search -- A more thoughtful search process, such as the methodology recommended here, will result in a more cohesive and effective board that truly is a competitive asset for the company. By Julie H. Daum.
Fall 2004 [3 page(s)] Expectations Are Rising for Mutual Fund Directors -- Mutual fund boards can take the lead in improving fund governance by ensuring that the board is truly independent and qualified, and by increasing the transparency of the nominating process. By Julie Daum and Richard Lannamann.
Summer 2004 [2 page(s)] CEO Evaluation: Get Serious to Make the Process Work -- The review process should be rigorous, objective, and fair, and the end result should be a stronger relationship between the CEO and the board. By Susan Boren and Robert Heidrick.
Spring 2004 [3 page(s)] SSBI: Change Is Here ... and Audit Committees Are Leading the Way -- The latest Spencer Stuart Board Index captures a compelling snapshot of the post-Sarbanes-Oxley shifts under way in governance. By Julie H. Daum and Thomas J. Neff.
Winter 2004 [4 page(s)] The Numbers Are In ... and Soundly Rising -- Companies are responding to directors? expanded responsibilities and workload with increased compensation. "We expect to see compensation rise as much as 50% above present levels within the next two to three years." By Julie H. Daum and Thomas J. Neff of Spencer Stuart.
Fall 2003 [2 page(s)] Get Yourself 'Carried to the Top' -- Extraordinary leaders do not claw their way to the top -- they are carried there. An excerpt from their book, The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers. By James Citrin and Richard Smith.
Summer 2003 [1 page(s)] Directors' Etiquette in a Changing Boardroom -- The dynamic in the boardroom -- and outside of it -- may be somewhat different than in the past, but the core issues of what constitutes good governance and a high-performing board are unchanged. By Susan Hart.
Summer 2003 [2 page(s)] A Portrait of Boards on the Cusp of Historic Change -- A more targeted approach to selecting directors ... Increased pay for audit committee service ... A wave of director retirements ... These are just some of the brewing trends documented in the latest Spencer Stuart Board Index. By Julie Daum.
Winter 2003 [4 page(s)] Improving the 'Director Value Proposition' -- A look at how candidates are assessing the risk profile of the boards they are being asked to join, and why companies need to take a hard look at what they are offering to attract and retain directors. By Julie Daum of Spencer Stuart and Donald Gallo of Sibson Consulting.
Spring 2003 [5 page(s)] Next Stop: The Governance Committee -- A guide to the emerging role of this board committee to meet new regulatory mandates and manage some of the board's most crucial responsibilities. By Julie Daum.
Spring 2003 [3 page(s)] A Pivotal Role for a Nonexecutive Chairman -- For companies working to get back on track following a restructuring, there is a strong case to be made for engaging an outside chairman. By Julie Daum.
Fall 2002 [2 page(s)] Raising the Bar in the Boardroom -- New expectations and standards warrant a best-practices review. This checklist provides a starting point for identifying strengths and weaknesses. By Susan Boren and Julie Daum.
Summer 2002 [2 page(s)] The CEO's 'First Hundred Days' -- Companies need a more formal and open process to let the CEO pick his trusted team. Boards can start by taking several proactive steps. By Dennis Carey and Dayton Ogden.
Summer 2002 [2 page(s)] Testing for 'Risk' in Your Governance Culture -- An examination of the key issues for concerned directors in creating a governance culture that manages risk and compliance. By Andrew MacDougall and Frank Marsteller.
Spring 2002 [3 page(s)] To Win, Create a Learning Organization -- Here are 10 ways to foster organizational learning. By James Citrin.
Spring 2002 [2 page(s)] Constructing a Board for a Spinoff -- Having the right board in place to help launch the spinoff can be a critical element in its ultimate success as a stand-alone business. Among the recommended actions: "Start small and build" may be the best advice. By Julie Daum and Thomas Neff.
Winter 2002 [3 page(s)] The Pendulum Swings in the Boardroom -- CEOs are getting younger while their boards are starting to get older. What the implications are. By Samuel Pettway.
Fall 2001 [3 page(s)] Governance at Its Best: An Interview with John Bryan -- Sara Lee Corp.'s longtime leader began serving on boards at age 23 and became chairman of the Sara Lee board at age 38. In a Spencer Stuart interview, he distills from this lifetime of governance experience some guidance on what makes for a well-functioning board and how to be an effective director.
Spring 2001 [6 page(s)] Delicate State: Board Selection in Bankruptcy -- A company still reeling from bankruptcy needs the right board to get back on its feet. Here are several guidelines for building a strong board to lead the comeback. By Julie Daum of Spencer Stuart and Bettina Whyte of Jay Alix & Associates.
Summer 2001 [4 page(s)] Governance Along the Digital Divide -- A study of top dot-com executives surfaces a starkly different view of directorship from that practiced by their traditional company counterparts. By Christopher Nadherny.
Winter 2001 [3 page(s)] Today's 'State of Play' of Governance Practice -- Drawing from the 15th annual Spencer Stuart Board Index, here are highlights of how leading companies are approaching the challenges of board composition, compensation, and director recruitment. By Julie Daum.
Fall 2000 [5 page(s)] Filling the Financial Expertise Gap -- Here are several suggestions for recruiting financial expertise to your board: the CFO solution, the accountant solution, and the investment banker solution. By Julie Daum and Paul Earle.
Summer 2000 [2 page(s)] The Delicate Matter of the No. 2 -- As a board member, do you fear the loss of top talent? Here are ways to maintain the No. 2'S sense of loyalty and purpose within a board-driven succession process. By Dennis Carey and Dayton Ogden.
Spring 2000 [5 page(s)] A 'Snapshot in Time' of Internet Boards -- Are dot-com boards really a breed apart from traditional boards? As this baseline survey shows, they clearly have distinguishing characteristics. By Julie Daum.
Winter 2000 [3 page(s)] How a CEO Reshaped a Board -- Case study of a healthcare company CEO and how he melded disparate organizations and boards of acquired entities to support a new mission. By Gail Hamity Vergara.
Fall 1999 [2 page(s)] CEO Casualties: A Battlefront Report -- Some classic storm signals that indicate serious trouble ahead for an incumbent chief executive. By Denis B.K. Lyons.
Summer 1999 [2 page(s)] Before Your M&A Deal, Do a Human Capital Audit -- Going beyond the numbers, many CEOs are conducting an additional audit to assess the managerial talent in the company they are considering buying. Here is how that process works and why it should be done. By Dennis C. Carey of Spencer Stuart and Marc Feigen of Katzenbach Partners LLC.
Spring 1999 [3 page(s)] Has Your Company Outgrown Its Board? Here's How to Tell -- By answering this brief list of questions, CEOs and nominating committees should be able to gauge how well their board measures up. By Samuel Pettway and Dennis Carey.
Winter 1999 [2 page(s)] Having Trouble Recruiting Directors? Don't Despair -- To improve your prospects, consider some of these suggestions for streamlining your board and making your board process more efficient. By Dennis Carey.
Fall 1998 [3 page(s)] Why Boards Seek CFOs as Directors -- The unique contributions that CFOs bring to the boardroom. Also, a selection of world-class CFO directors. By E. Peter McLean.
Summer 1998 [2 page(s)] Blank Slate: Reconstructing a Board -- Companies undergoing reorganization often must assemble a new board. Some advice for succeeding at this daunting task. By David Daniel and Susan Hart.
Spring 1998 [3 page(s)] What To Do About the 'Opportunity-Cost' Director -- The termination of marginal directors will be one of the most important governance issues in the years ahead. By Dennis Carey and Thomas Neff.
Winter 1998 [3 page(s)] Succeeding at Succeeding Yourself -- A synthesis of best CEO succession practices in 12 leading U.S. corporations. By Dennis Carey and Dayton Ogden.
Fall 1997 [2 page(s)] Recruiting CEOs to Startup Companies -- Look for high scores in these 10 categories of experience. By James Citrin.
Summer 1997 [2 page(s)] Where the Board Drives Succession Planning -- A study of the succession planning philosophy and practice at Hercules Inc. By Dennis Carey.
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