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.
