The Imperfect Board Member E-Book

Jim Brown

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: J-B US non-Franchise Leadership
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 174

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Praise for The Imperfect Board Member

"Finally! A book about boards that isn't boring!"
--Patrick Lencioni, author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

"Everyone wins with good governance--countries, corporations, and community groups. In a compelling style like no one before him, Jim Brown helps leaders understand the keys for boardroom excellence. The Imperfect Board Member ought to be required reading for people on every type of board. The great thing is that it won't need to be required--it's such a fun book, every leader will want to read it."
--Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-CEO, Research in Motion; chair, Centre for International Governance Innovation

"I know no board members, myself included, who won't learn valuable lessons from Jim Brown's book The Imperfect Board Member. Don't miss it!"
--Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One-Minute Manager and The Secret

"Thanks to Sarbanes-Oxley, boards have become active. The Imperfect Board Member clarifies sharply the lines of what boards need to do and what management needs to do. The time has come for the two groups to work together and yet keep independent."
--Ram Charan, coauthor, Execution, and author, Boards That Deliver

"The Imperfect Board Member by Jim Brown is a highly perceptive, eminently readable, engagingly human book on how boards and directors can improve their performance. In a breezy conversational style that uses dialogue invitingly and often, the author explores with sensitivity and a light touch not only the standard ingredients but also the more subtle nuances of excellence in both corporate and not-for-profit governance."
--William A. Dimma, author, Tougher Boards for Tougher Times; chairman, Home Capital Group Inc.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Epigraph

Title Page

Copyright Page

Foreword

Introduction

Imperfect Board Members

Smart and Healthy

A Quick Read, A Fun Story

Discipline for Directors

More Than a Story—Prepare to Take Action

CHAPTER ONE - ON THE EDGE

CHAPTER TWO - A GLIMMER OF HOPE

CHAPTER THREE - THE SECRET FORMULA

CHAPTER FOUR - THE ENEMY WITHIN

CHAPTER FIVE - UNRAVELING FROM THE INSIDE

CHAPTER SIX - REBUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP

CHAPTER SEVEN - ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

CHAPTER EIGHT - EXPECT MORE

CHAPTER NINE - CATCHING THE WIND

CHAPTER TEN - UNCOVERING THE GEM

CHAPTER ELEVEN - BREAKTHROUGH

CHAPTER TWELVE - THE BIG DAY

AFTERWORD

RECOMMENDED READING ON GOVERNANCE

NOTES

Acknowledgments

THE AUTHOR

“This is an interesting approach to learning more about governance. The parable is not only helpful to anyone involved in governance of an agricultural cooperative, but also with family, family businesses, church, and community. It is an easy read and has a happy ending! This book can help make your life and the lives of those around you easier.”

—Don Schriver, retired executive vice president, Dairy Farmers of America and former chair, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

“The Imperfect Board Member is a very easy read. It is of great value to anyone serving on a board, be it a private, public, or not-for-profit organization.”

—Hon. Lyle Vanclief, P.C., former Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Food; certified director, Institute of Corporate Directors

Copyright © 2006 by Jim Brown. All rights reserved.

Published by Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1741 www.josseybass.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax [phone], or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Jossey-Bass books and products are available through most bookstores. To contact Jossey-Bass directly call our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-956-7739, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3986, or fax [phone].

Jossey-Bass also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brown, Jim.

The imperfect board member : discovering the seven disciplines of governance excellence / Jim Brown.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7879-8610-0 (cloth) ISBN-10: 0-7879-8610-0 (cloth)

1. Boards of directors. 2. Corporate governance. I. Title.

HD2745.B735 2006

658.4’22—dc22

2006019149

HB Printing

FOREWORD

It used to be that people looked up to boards of directors. They had no real idea what boards did; still, they trusted that these surely were honorable and important groups. But now that strange names like Enron and Sarbanes and Oxley have become a part of everyday language, the luster of boards has faded and the scrutiny of their work has increased. Unfortunately, most of that attention has focused on fiduciary responsibilities and legal liabilities, making it entirely likely that when all of this blows over, people will still be as bored with and confused by boards as they were before.

This is why The Imperfect Board Member is such an important book. In two equally important ways, it gives us a compelling look at how boards can truly add value, and along the way it shows us why boards are so important.

First, it makes the work of boards human. In spite of how boards are depicted in Hollywood, they do not consist of a bunch of cigar-smoking men in pin-striped suits sitting around in a dark, wood-paneled conference room figuring out how to deceive or manipulate naïve stockholders.

The truth is, most boards are made up of ordinary people. They are grandparents. They are Little League coaches. They are next-door neighbors. And they are often volunteers who have nothing to gain from sitting on a board other than taking part in a learning experience and knowing that they are contributing to something important.

Second, The Imperfect Board Member makes the work of boards entirely understandable and accessible. Sparing us the jargon that induces sleepiness, it provides a clear description of what boards should—and shouldn’t—be doing.

This may sound like I’m saying this is a book for people who aren’t on boards. In part, I am. Better than anything before it, this book will help the average person grasp what legitimate board work is about. It’s ideal for the middle manager who wonders what the company’s board is really for. It’s important for the majority of investors who are brave enough to put some of their hard-earned savings into stocks but are too intimidated to attend an annual meeting. It’s what all front-line volunteers in a community service group need so they understand the part the board has to play.

But even more, The Imperfect Board Member is a book for actual board members. The author—a friend of mine—often jokes that a greeter at Wal-Mart gets more orientation than most board members ever do. We all know that’s no joke. It’s true for boards of every description. And it’s appalling. Although it sounds extreme, management guru Peter Drucker wrote, “There is one thing all boards have in common . . . They do not function.”

For over a decade, Jim Brown and his team have been helping boards overcome their dysfunctions and govern well. Now this book extends the clarity of their perspective and the wisdom of their insights to everyone who cares enough to make a difference.

Jim does all this by painting a picture of real, likeable people struggling to be better board members and leaders. As they encounter twists and turns and pitfalls, we learn and grow with them. Whether we’re directors of large corporations or board members of small community non-profits, we see ourselves in this story. Most important of all, we’re left with a renewed vision. Boards really can add value to the organizations they serve. Board members really can work together in meaningful and rewarding ways. And even though we all have imperfections, governance excellence really is possible.

July 2006

PATRICK LENCIONI

INTRODUCTION

BOARDS MATTER

When my partners and I began our consulting practice in the middle of the 1990s, most people had no idea what the word governance even meant. Typically, board members presumed they were elected or appointed because of their wisdom and experience. Typically, CEOs and executive directors considered the board to be a necessary nuisance. Neither board members nor senior executives considered board coaching or director development to be of consequence. Indeed, there seemed to be a stigma that accepting any such service would be tantamount to admitting they were not qualified to be at the board table.