Five ways to strengthen board decision-making and benefit from the recent strug
Managing risk requires compliance program evaluation, thorough audits and a cle
Investors are showing no hesitancy to object to nonpreferred pay decisions and
A new report finds CEO and CFO base salaries increasing but bonuses on the decl
With more than half of companies failing to plan for CEO succession, the topic
To contribute effectively during economic uncertainty, directors need candor, c
If there is one inquiry that I get asked the most, it is for advice on getting on a board. It was that way again this year, which is why this topic gets addressed regularly in Directors & Boards.
And in the e-Briefings. This month you will find that both the Article of the Month and the Columnist pieces are full of insights and guidance for those looking to join a board.
A longer version of this article appeared in the Third Quarter 2014 edition of Directors & Boards.When we first wrote an article for Directors & Boards back in 1996, we shared some tips for vetting board candidates — what to look out for, what types of resources to check, and other guidance.
Call it the boardroom Catch-22: It’s difficult to get on a board if you don’t have board experience. But, you can’t get the experience without your first board seat.
The solution? If you’re really serious about getting on a board, create a strategy and be prepared to do the homework. Getting on board is like getting a job. Here are three steps.
The famous Marilyn Monroe comedy “The Seven Year Itch” examines the natural tendency of people to get bored and complacent after seven years of a relationship. Is it possible that companies and directors need to act after seven years to remove complacency and stay fresh and engaged? Let’s consider why companies and boards need to address the issue in a way that benefits all concerned.
Surprisingly, many private company boards pay little attention to perhaps their most important function, maximizing realized shareholder value. Despite their legal and fiduciary responsibility to exercise this function, boards often fail to give it much attention. My experience from serving on 14 different boards is that this issue is seldom even on the agenda!
In an environment of increasing global competition, constant technological innovation, and greater shareholder activism, public company CEOs who partner with hands-on, active board members can better drive equity value creation.
Directors & Boards presents its seventh annual ranking of top law firms specializing in corporate governance issues. These rankings represent the unaided (“fill in the blank”) responses from 208 respondents to our legal services survey, which was conducted in November 2014.
Innovation is the lifeblood of high-growth, private companies. With a three-to-five-year time horizon to major growth inflection points, these companies must aggressively pursue strategies in all aspects of business. Boards must support innovation efforts not only in product development but also in sales and marketing (e.g., the implementation of social media engagement to reach and retain customers), finance, and all other areas across an organization.
Innovation is one of the hottest topics in global business today. Everyone and every company is striving to be “more innovative.” The role and focus of the board in innovation can vary dramatically with the nature of the company it oversees:
• In high-growth entrepreneurial companies, boards often view their role as guiding innovation. Typically they are seeking to enforce more accountability and discipline in a highly entrepreneurial company — without dampening the innovative spirit that lies at the heart of the corporate culture.
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick M. Shanahan joins Leidos board of directors
Leidos, a defense, aviation, information technology and biomedical research company, headquartered in Reston, Va., appointed Patrick M. Shanahan to its Board. He served as the 33rd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2017 to…
