Despite all of the attention that the lack of diversity on S&P 500 boards has been getting in recent years, there is still a significant gender gap, and that gap is closing extremely slowly. At the current rate, it will take years to get close to gender parity on S&P 500 boards according to new data released by CGLytics, a corproate governance company. According to … [Read more...]
6 Essential Skills Every Non-Executive Director Should Have
If you’ve got your sights set on getting a role as a non-executive director, you need to make sure you have the skills needed to excel at the position. There are six key skills and characteristics that every non-executive director should have---leadership, critical thinking, business acumen, integrity, interpersonal skills, and sound judgement. These skills and characteristics … [Read more...]
Rewire or Retire? Gain a Board Seat First
For his whole career John (no, that's not his real name) built an arsenal of achievements that did not end once he became a C-suite executive. His success was noted in a number of ways. He was highly respected, called on to speak at leading industry events, and his advice was sought after in private meetings. He had a strong sense of accomplishment and was happy with how his … [Read more...]
Does Your Board Have a Bell-Jar Ecosystem?
The progressive boardroom moves the needle away from operating in a vacuum with targeted board recruitment for the 21st century. While turbulence is not new, its nature and degree present an ever-increasing need for executive-level acumen to capitalize on opportunities and mitigate risks in the ever-more-sophisticated business environment. According to Spencer Stuart, … [Read more...]
Top 10 Board of Directors Reads – 1st Quarter 2015
To compile a “best reads” list for corporate directors and director candidates is a challenge that keeps me on the cutting edge. Feel free to just review the list, provide feedback on what you like, and challenge what you feel is not worthy of the list---maybe even make suggestions about what to read next! 1. Coping with a Still-Fragile Global Finance System An Interview … [Read more...]
Mining the Collective Intelligence of Your Board of Directors
Do you mine the collective intelligence of your board? In today’s world, corporations are establishing processes that have an emphasis on collective wisdom for competitive advantage. This concept can be actualized at the board level through the board evaluation process. A recent study by PwC found that 63% of directors believe self-evaluations are mostly a “check the box” … [Read more...]
Board Evaluations – Getting It Right
The progressive board looks for the time and resources spent on board evaluation to align with their philosophy of continuous improvement and reflective intelligence. The Focus of a Board Evaluation At the very least, a board evaluation will focus on key functions of the board, provide a “gap” analysis that draws weak areas to the surface, provide disbursement of responses, … [Read more...]
Inquiring Minds Want to Know About Board Evaluation
The Wall Street Journal reports approximately 19 percent of the largest public U.S. companies hired an outsider to evaluate their boards in 2013 — a 17 percent leap since 2010. Those numbers come from Spencer Stuart, an executive search firm. In five years, up to 35 percent of major companies could be putting "board doctors" to use. Financial and banking firms were some of … [Read more...]
Use LinkedIn Groups to Advance Your Expertise When Targeting a Board Seat
LinkedIn is the best social media site for professional conversations. LinkedIn Groups are communities of like-minded people who share a common interest. As someone who is a member of LinkedIn Groups and also manager of my own group, I have extensive experience from both sides of the fence. Here are a few etiquette tips when participating in LinkedIn Groups: Create … [Read more...]
The 3 C’s of LinkedIn for Networking to Gain That Corporate Board Seat
With 332 million existing users and two more people joining every second, LinkedIn is the top-of-mind network for professionals looking to advance their careers. LinkedIn offers five significant opportunities to expand your network that save time and escalate your visibility: Marketing Branding Networking Communicating Researching people Here are three areas … [Read more...]