Boards At Work: How Corporate Boards Create Competitive Advantage (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership): Ram Charan

• Filed under: Business

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
In spite of dozens of recent articles in the popular business press and professional journals and several newer books all detailing the duties and responsibilities of members of boards of directors, the perception of what boards are for or what they do can still be fuzzy. Charan, who has written a number of articles for the Harvard Business Review, helps set the record straight in this compilation of some of the best practices that he has observed as a consultant to corporate executives and boards of directors. Not only does he make clear what the role of the board is, he also emphasizes the potential value of the board as a strategic resource. Charan covers how to find new board members, the kind of information the board needs and receives and the ways in which it is conveyed, shareholder relations, evaluation of CEOs and other oversight functions, and succession planning. His final focus is on the role of the board of directors as a change agent. David Rouse

Review
“In this book, Ram Charan confronts the critical issues faced by the boards of directors of publicly traded companies in a way only he can. His valuable views and opinions come from years of consulting with some of America’s best-known and most successful chairmen and CEOs, who also share their direct insights on the most controversial of topics. More than a good book on management, this is a reference to be used over and over again.” –Jerome Meyer, chairman and CEO, Tektronix Inc., and director of AMP

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The Board Book: An Insider’s Guide for Directors and Trustees: William G. Bowen

• Filed under: Recommended

A must-have for first-time and experienced board members alike, who will benefit from William G. Bowen’s decades of experience.

Former Mellon Foundation and Princeton University president William G. Bowen has served on the boards of some of the United States’s biggest corporations and nonprofits, including American Express, Merck, the Smithsonian, and TIAA-CREF. In The Board Book he brings his immense experience, along with the recollections and insights of numerous colleagues, to bear on the most pressing questions facing boards of directors and trustees today. His topics include the hot-button issues of the relationship between CEOs and board members, “perks,” executive compensation, and CEO transitions. In addition, Bowen offers advice on the “machinery” required to run a board effectively, including the uses of committees and executive sessions, the handling of leaks, and the recruitment of new board members. Throughout, Bowen relates, with anecdotes and hard data, strategies that result in the collegiality and sense of purpose that make any board more effective.

About the Author
William G. Bowen is the author of more than twenty books, including The Shape of the River and Equity and Excellence in American Higher Education. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Order The Board Book: An Insider’s Guide for Directors and Trustees: William G. Bowen form Amazon.