Director Leadership

Non Executive Directors used to be caricatured as cronies of the Chairman (who is also a Non Executive Director) or CEO. Fat cats, freeloading members of the "old boy network", retirees who wanted to have somewhere to go other than the golf club for a decent lunch and a chat. Not an attractive scenario and for various reasons, but not least because of numerous serious corporate scandals where shareholders were left unprotected, the whole can of Non Executive worms has been subject to investigation.

42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role, 2nd Edition, describes practical and effective actions for you to make a strong start at your new VP, director, or manager job. Drawing from extensive interviews with corporate leaders and the author's 20 years as a strategy consultant and executive coach, these rules form the manual they forgot to hand you when you got that promotion or offer letter.

What does an executive director actually do? And how can you lead your organization to a stronger place? Nonprofit expert Erik Hanberg wrote The Little Book of Nonprofit Leadership to speak directly to executive directors of small (and very small) nonprofits who are asking these questions. EDs, especially at small nonprofits, tend to be dropped into the deep end of the pool with the expectation that they know how to swim. The Little Book of Nonprofit Leadership will be a welcome rescue line. 

What makes for a successful board of directors, and how is it accomplished? In only 60 minutes of conversation and instruction, learn the answer to this question from the author of The Entrepreneur's Guide, who helped bring American Power Conversion public in 1988, a company that recently sold for $6.1 billion.

Which mindset do you think existing Boards and CEOs are in when it comes to HRDs being able to make the move to CEO? Have you ever asked the question why HR Directors don’t make the move to CEO? Why Boards and CEOs ignore “HRness”? Is HR really dead? Where is HR’s guiding North Star? Could you imagine an HR Director being your CEO? In Human Resources Changes the World, Glenn G Jones examines the available research and sets out the reasons why HR is not progressing to its full potential; it will surprise you.

With its vivid stories and conversational tone, Boards That Excel is like sitting down with an astute and experienced friend - one who's passionate about what corporate and nonprofit boards can do when they set high aspirations, are clear on purpose, and do the right things in the right way.

By accepting the CEO job at Hewlett-Packard, an iconic company that had lost its way, Carly Fiorina confirmed her status as the most powerful businesswoman in America. But she also made herself a target for everyone who disliked her bold leadership style and resented her rapid rise. For six years, as she led HP through drastic changes and a controversial merger, Fiorina was the subject of endless analysis, debate, and speculation.

Creativity and innovation are widely recognized as essential to success in business and in so many aspects of our lives. For over two decades, Cirque du Soleil has been a world-renowned laboratory of creativity, enthralling audiences around the world by fusing dazzling acrobatics, staging, choreography, and music, along with beautiful costumes and technical effects, to inspire and create magical, almost otherworldly theatrical experiences.

Although proportionally women continue to lag far behind men as CEOs and board members at major institutions, there has been a marked uptick in the number of female business leaders in recent years. Looking at the changes that have happened at Berkshire Hathaway - Warren Buffett's holding company, The Women of Berkshire Hathaway: Lessons from Warren Buffett's Female CEOs and Directors provides a unique look at the gradual shattering of the glass ceiling at one of America's top firms.

Women on corporate boards is strictly a business issue. Independent research studies demonstrate that public companies with women on their boards are more profitable, more productive, and their workforce is better engaged. Even more compelling, shareholders large and small have the best chance for positive returns on their investments when women are on the boards.