With the economy changing how many firms do business, it is not surprising that the role of CIO is also changing. CIOs around the world are being asked to do more with less and put forward strategic ideas to contribute to making the business competitive. This is a great opportunity for CIOs to get out from the role of the pure technologist and rise into a strategic role.

For CIOs the next step is crucial step. We must be able to learn the business. Business knowledge will help us put forward strategic ideas into terms business leaders will understand. This knowledge will help in developing credibility and sound solutions, strategies, and ideas. This understanding will allow us to align the IT function to the overall organizational strategy and to be able to demonstrate and achieve results that pave the way for long-term business change and growth through technological solutions.

CIOs are poised to be the catalysts and change agents to help move businesses forward and to drive competitive advantage. How we answer this challenge will determine our position in business. If we succeed, there will be a place for us in the boardroom. If we fail we will be back in the datacenter.

Denim is one of the most viral fashion trends to hit us! Ostensibly an innocuous tendency, jeans have the ability to gradually take over your closet space virtually undetected, until it’s too late. Little did we know that one pair of True Religion jeans would multiply into multiple pairs of Citizens jeans, Seven for all mankind jeans, Hudson jeans, and even Frankie B. jeans. Just as denim has invaded each and every closet, denim takes over the soul. Why? Because designer jeans, with their slimming lines and sleek appearance, make us feel good!

Places that have not traditionally been denim friendly have been invaded. One theory is that price plays a huge part in bringing jeans into the boardroom. When your Citizens of humanity, True Religion jeans, and Seven for all mankind jeans have prices in the same range as your dress pants, you’re bound to see a crossover. However, some brands are more boardroom friendly than others.

Clean dark washes tend to work the best when transforming a pair of jeans from casual to more formal wear. True Religion jeans in Bobby, and many of the more classic bodies of Citizens of humanity and Seven for all mankind jeans are quite adaptable when placed with the right top and accessories.

The versatility of denim almost certainly earns itself a permanent place in each and every one of our closets, and definitely an enduring presence in our fashion culture.

To shop for the brands in this article such as Citizens jeans or True Religion jeans, visit http://www.kultic.com.

Denim is one of the most viral fashion trends to hit us! Ostensibly an innocuous tendency, jeans have the ability to gradually take over your closet space virtually undetected, until it’s too late. Little did we know that one pair of True Religion jeans would multiply into multiple pairs of Citizens jeans, Seven for all mankind jeans, Hudson jeans, and even Frankie B. jeans. Just as denim has invaded each and every closet, denim takes over the soul. Why? Because designer jeans, with their slimming lines and sleek appearance, make us feel good!

Places that have not traditionally been denim friendly have been invaded. One theory is that price plays a huge part in bringing jeans into the boardroom. When your Citizens of humanity, True Religion jeans, and Seven for all mankind jeans have prices in the same range as your dress pants, you’re bound to see a crossover. However, some brands are more boardroom friendly than others.

Clean dark washes tend to work the best when transforming a pair of jeans from casual to more formal wear. True Religion jeans in Bobby, and many of the more classic bodies of Citizens of humanity and Seven for all mankind jeans are quite adaptable when placed with the right top and accessories.

The versatility of denim almost certainly earns itself a permanent place in each and every one of our closets, and definitely an enduring presence in our fashion culture.

To shop for the brands in this article such as Citizens jeans or True Religion jeans, visit http://www.kultic.com.

You’ve made it to the boardroom, in fact you’ve lived there for many years. You know every crack in the ceiling, each chip on the molding, and the squeak in the door hindge when it opens. Once upon a time you were excited to be “at the table” making strategic decisions for the organization. Now you find yourself not as energized in these C-Suite gatherings as you were in the past. What happened?

You’re accomplished, the envy of many in your social and professional circles. The saying goes, “it is lonely at the top” and you’re amazed with the 1:1 identification. What might dislodge these thoughts, these unfamiliar feelings? Who might be able to process through this malaise before you make a mistake?

Deze financiële en economische crisis noopt sterker dan alle voorgaande crises tot een grondige heroriëntatie. We hebben namelijk ook nog eens te maken met een klimaatcrisis en een grondstoffencrisis. Met alle geopolitieke manipulatie die erbij komt kijken. In de strategische regio’s Irak, Georgië en Afghanistan vechten ze elkaar om oliebelangen de tent uit, in Kongo om kobalt, in Bolivia om Lithium, in Kenia en Rwanda om landbouwgrond en in de bezette gebieden rond Israel om waterputten. Het is evident dat deze crises een samenhang vertonen. En als er een samenhang is, dringt de vraag zich op of er ook een gemeenschappelijke oorzaak aan te wijzen is. Een Act of God? Hebzucht? Een mentaliteitscrisis? Wat zeker meespeelt is de toename van de wereldbevolking. Die is tussen 1950 en 2008 met 150 procent gegroeid van 2,5 naar 6,7 miljard aardbewoners. In diezelfde periode is de mondiale productie vervijfvoudigd. Tel daarbij op de enorme economische groei in landen als Brazilië, Rusland, China en India en een kind kan de was doen.

Met het verdrag van Kopenhagen in aantocht is het aannemelijk dat vanaf 2010 dwingender – dus minder vrijblijvend – wordt toegewerkt naar een duurzame economie. Te beginnen met een duurzame energievoorziening. Het staat immers onomstotelijk vast dat de fossiele reserves op raken. Dat stond vijftig jaar geleden ook al vast, maar toen was Peak oil nog niet in zicht. Wil het vrije Westen zijn politieke lot niet in handen leggen van staatsgeleide economieën als Rusland en het Midden-Oosten of in een prijsopdrijvend end game met China en India terecht komen, dan is een meer autarkische energievoorziening onvermijdelijk. Met het recente besluit van dit kabinet voor een volgend windpark in de Noordzee, komt de langverwachte energietransitie in Nederland weer een stapje dichterbij. Er spreekt vertrouwen uit. Het perspectief Masterplan Zeekracht, een Nederlands plan om rond 2050 Noordwest-Europa met wind- en zonne-energie helemaal onafhankelijk te maken van fossiele brandstoffen, lijkt daarmee iets minder ver weg. Een gegarandeerde energietoevoer tegen een vaste prijs levert, behalve economische en ecologische winst, ook duurzame werkgelegenheid op. Dat moet alle overheden rond de Noordzee aanspreken.

Risicokapitaal kan en wil niks anders dan een hoger rendement. De druk die daarvan uitgaat is opbouwend, zolang er een reële economie onder draait die al dat vermogen op een organisch manier kan absorberen en laten renderen. Niet teveel dus, maar ook niet te weinig. En dat is precies wat er mis was/is. De invloed van risicokapitaal op de verdiencapaciteit van ondernemingen was eerst structureel te groot vanwege een overliquiditeit en is nu structureel te groot vanwege een onderliquiditeit. De overliquiditeit schroefde de leverage van banken steeds verder op en manipuleerde telkens weer ergens anders een kunstmatige bubbel: aandelenmarkt, internetbedrijven, grondstoffenmarkt, huizenmarkt en uiteindelijk in de kredietmarkt zelf, waarin het kapitaal zijn eigen kannibaal geworden is. Niet bepaald een stabiel financieel klimaat. Hoe groot de hefboom is die het freischwebende Kapital onder de economie heeft gezet, blijkt uit het feit dat de hele financiële sector wereldwijd in nog geen jaar tijd van steenrijk opeens straatarm geworden is.

Maar het gaat dieper dan nu alleen te wijzen naar het even pijnlijke als langzame proces van de-leveraging. Natuurlijk moeten de risicomodellen worden aangepast en het risicogedrag geëvalueerd. Maar men zal zich hopelijk toch ook afvragen hoe de boardroom van banken controle houdt op wat zich in de dealingroom afspeelt. Daar zitten namelijk quants als Nick Leeson en Jérôme Kerviel aan de knoppen te draaien. Welke expertise is dan onder raden van bestuur nodig en welke prikkels kunnen daar mogelijk troeblerend werken? En voor wat betreft de externe controle: de Europese commissie verkleint de balans van banken die aan het infuus van de overheid liggen door die banken op te knippen. Bij ING was dat bijvoorbeeld 1.300 miljard. Twee keer ons BNP. Kijk naar IJsland en je weet hoe het mis kan lopen. Daar torst elke IJslander een schuld van vier miljoen euro. Met dank aan de banken.

Dat opknippen vergemakkelijkt meteen het nationale toezicht en het toezicht van een nieuw Europees toezichthoudend instituut. Een andere mogelijkheid was geweest om grote banken per land een eigen winst- en verliesrekening aan te laten houden. Zo houden overheden de leverage in toom en spijkeren ze het geld aan de grond vast. Daar valt wat voor te zeggen, want nu wordt het lokale bedrijfsleven opeens geconfronteerd met het feit dat het geglobaliseerd is omdat hun bank zijn risico’s mondiaal heeft gespreid. We zouden ons zelfs af mogen vragen of systeembanken eigenlijk wel beursgenoteerd mogen zijn. Tenslotte wordt nu de prestatiedruk van aandeelhouders doorgegeven aan de onderliggende economie. En dat leidde in één rechte lijn tot het onderschatten van de risico’s en het overschatten van de kansen.

SUNDAY 3.1 Season Premiere (9 p.m., NBC)

An Olympic figure skater, mother-daughter red carpet divas and a comedian are among the new celeb contenders competing to impress business heavyweight (and new grandpa) Donald Trump. EminemTM’s Channel Tossed into hilarious challenges on the streets of New York City, the winners will raise money for their signature charities while the losers fight it out for the opportunity to keep a seat in the boardroom.

SUNDAY 3.1

Running In Heels

Series Premiere (8 p.m., Style)

Three would-be fashionistas snag dream internships at high-profile style mag Marie Claire newest films.  Competition is fierce, and the gals dig in their stilettos to earn a place on the masthead. Lindsay Lohan makes a cameo appearance in the premiere episode.

MONDAY 3.2

Rules of Engagement

Season Premiere (9=30 p.m., CBS)

Audrey learns that Russell (David Spade) has a dirty little secret. AC/DC – CLIPPED Let’s just say he likes to give a standing ovation at the end.

The Bachelor

Season Finale (8 p.m., ABC)

The series’ 13th bachelor has already admitted he’s engaged. Adam Sandler Biography Find out whether Melissa or Molly is the lucky gal with a sparkling new diamond ring — and which one got nothing more than a consolation limo ride home.

So today’s a little bit better. Except for the fact that my computer’s running really fucking slow, i’ve got chest/back pains and ooo, look! my rooms fucking freezing and i can’t turn on the central heating. well, fuck this shit. To any readers i have already: check out patrick bunton. he’s a sweet german DJ, and i love him.

Fuck copyright. Yeah, fuck it. seriously; big record companies who try and take down every fucking version of a song on youtube that they own the rights to just make me less inclined to buy cd’s and records from them. i actually want to set fire to the knobheads in upper management who came up with these ideas. I can see how it went down in the board-meeting…

“Hey jim”
“hey john”
“who shall we piss off today?”
“I dunno, how about The Internet?”
“sounds good, let’s alienate a possible clientbase of millions!”
“sounds good to me!”

fucking idiotic dickheads. Woot for copyright-free rave/trance music that you can download all over the I-net.

Today’s was a short post, i’m not too pissed off (:

As we reported back in August, some research was released showing that having women on the board could have a negative effect on the bottom line. The survey of 2000 companies in the USA showed a correlation between firms with more female board members and lower profitability and lower market value.

But a report launched today is entitled “women improve boardroom effectiveness” – it’s amazing how different research on the same subject can come up with such conflicting results! Boardroom consultancy IDDAS interviewed a fifth of women on boards of FTSE 100 companies to quiz them about their success.

The report’s findings are not too surprising and highlight all the main attributes of successful women that I would expect – that women are good at teamwork, non-confrontational, less ego-driven and so rare at this level that they excel under the spotlight. It also said that characteristics of successful women directors include energy, courage, resilience and social intelligence.

It’s nice to see some more positive research – it seems like we’ve had our fair share of negative PR lately! I think that other qualities it’s important for successful women to have are confidence, political savvy, strong negotiation skills and the ability to network. From your experiences, do you agree? For some top tips on political savvy you can see our white paper – just click here.

What football can learn from business leaders, in terms of management, building for success and long-term planning…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: live soccer. The blog is also related to: soccer picks.

The new corporation differs from the old in both goals and basic assumptions. In the industrial era, when the strategic resource was capital, the goal of the corporation could only have been profits. In the information era, however, the strategic resource is information, knowledge, creativity. There is only one way a corporation can gain access to these valuable commodities—that is, through the people in whom these resources reside.

So the basic assumption of a re-invented company is that people—human capital—are its most important resource. What used to be one of the radicals’ favorite slogans, “People before Profits,” is finding its way into the boardroom and being transformed into a more businesslike but equally humanistic “People and Profits.”

In an information age society, human resources are any organization’s competitive edge.

One expression of the importance of human capital is the new corporate preoccupation with health and fitness. Corporations are treating their human assets with new concern, encouraging their people to stop smoking, lose weight, exercise, and learn to manage stress. What might have been considered an intrusion into one’s personal life in the past is fair game when people are a company’s strategic resource.

The new re-invernted corporations stress inordinate regard for the two most important types of people in an enterprise: employees and customers.

They have discovered that by being both pro-people and pro-profits, a company can earn more than it it had targeted profits as its only goal.

It is not a question of being nice to people. It is simply a recognition that human beings will make or break a company.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, Lectures, Line of Sight

Burning in a city of ice...

We all have to work… dragging ourselves out of bed each day in order to go into our workplace where we need to expend energy and effort to get things done. But who says we can’t have fun while at work?

In a recent meeting in my company’s boardroom, I broke apart a paperclip while listening to someone talk and I realized that I had five pieces… so I laid out the five pieces to form a torso, two legs and two arms on the desk. It reminded me of the doll from the first season of Dexter that was left in Dexter’s fridge by an enemy. I then wrote out on a piece of paper Dexter’s famous line of “he’s asking me if I want to play, and yes, I want to play, I really want to play…” and left the piece of paper there in the boardroom with the paperclip pieces.

Last month, I left a note in the boardroom for others to read when they’d eventually come into the boardroom about how it makes no sense for the Wizards and Magic to play each other in the NBA since the two are supposed to go hand in hand. I went as far as explaining that any wizard playing without magic was in for a long night…

The President of the company that I work at already thinks that I’m crazy since I pull pranks on other people all the time while seemingly coming up with very creative ideas and presentations for major issues. An example: I named our software implementation project as “Project Firestarter”… we’re a lumber yard.

Other wonderful things that I’ve done are:

• Changing the order of the keys on peoples’ keyboards or writing messages out of the letters on their keyboards
• Attaching a computer mouse to the bottom of a chair so that when that specific person moves their chair, the mouse moves along too like as if it’s a real mouse intended to scare them
• Turning everything upside-down at someone’s desk including their monitor, keyboard, chair, personal possessions, papers, stuffed animals and more
• Changing the radio station everytime a specific person leaves the room intended to make that person paranoid that the radio station keeps changing
• Giving a 5-minute speech in front of about 15 people for a meeting about how I tried to come up with a topic for my 5-minute speech and how I subsequently never did come up with a topic and then used the lack of a topic as my speech’s topic – and then titled the speech as “The Topic of Topics”…
• Watching hip-hop videos in the boardroom and turning up the music loud enough so that when people walked by the boardroom, they’d wonder what kind of meeting was taking place and how come they were missing out

Productivity is no good if you can’t have fun doing it… might as well travel the road less traveled in order to get a wild ride from it.

“Only thing that’s on my mind is who gon’ run this town tonight…”
- Run This Town (Jay-Z)

by Fiona Walsh, for Irishtimes, September 16, 2009.

Bonuses may have fallen but companies are using inventive ways to bolster directors’ pay.

There’s a simple solution to corporate greed – more women in the boardroom.

Not necessarily because women are more reasonable or more restrained in their demands but because, for all the talk of equal opportunities, Britain’s boardrooms remain overwhelmingly male and those women who have broken through are paid only a fraction of the going rate.

The Guardian’s annual pay survey revealed this week that the directors of Britain’s 100 leading companies rewarded themselves with a collective total of more than £1 billion (€1.12 billion) last year, despite a near 30 per cent fall in the value of their companies.

Their basic salaries leapt by 10 per cent, more than three times the increase awarded to employees in the private sector.

Between them, the top 10 best- paid directors collected a record £170 million last year, up from £140 million in 2007, and £70 million five years ago.

Leading the pack, with a total pay package worth £36.8 million, was Bart Becht, chief executive of the Dettol to Harpic cleaning products group Reckitt Benckiser, who has earned more than £80 million over the last three years. Yet the highest paid woman in the FTSE 100, Cynthia Carroll of mining giant Anglo American, earned little more than 10 per cent of Becht’s total, at £4 million last year. Carroll was also the only woman whose basic pay topped the £1 million mark, compared with the 21 male executives who made it into the millionaires’ club.

Snapping at Carroll’s heels with a package of £3.9 million was Linda Cook (50), the former head of gas and power at Shell.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most powerful businesswomen, Cook resigned from the oil giant earlier this year after losing out in the race to secure the top job…(continue reading)

Everything from the cut and style of our clothes, the width of railroad tracks, newsworthy stories, what is hot and what is not, office architecture, fall fashion, city layouts, traffic direction, cell phone designs … – much of our daily life has been decided by 6 people sitting around a table… and 1 or 2 of those 6 had their ideas win… the best ideas don’t necessarily win. Think beyond it all.

- Sanpixee (Follow me on Twitter)

Enough said. Think beyond it all – make your opinion count when you can. So much has already been decided for us – or else you will simply be living by a path chosen for you by someone else. 

by Robert Bruce for Financial Director, September 12, 2009.

Winning the game of risk management involves more than batting the issue towards systems and processes.

The technology that analyses the effectiveness of different bowlers during test matches has bounced ever further ahead in recent years. And cricket watchers have gained insight as balls bounce in simulation down the pitch, forming a matrix of coloured circles on the screen. It may illustrate the extraordinary skill required to deal with the wily spin bowler, the terrifyingly fast bowler and the ever-skilful swing bowler, but finance directors may be permitted a feeling of déjà vu as they look at the matrix filling up with blue, green and red discs.

They have seen all this before. Only, then, it was not in the enjoyable ambiance of watching a test match on television. It was during the duller moments in the boardroom at the section of the meeting all directors dread: the point when the risk management team produces its periodic presentation on the current state of risk management. Instead of the dangers of leg-breaks or googlies, they are back in the world where the dangers of specific risks rise and fall and the blobs on the matrix change colour, moving about the squares.

It is a bit of a yawn. The risk management people lay on the dangers with a trowel, but they have so many systems and processes on the go that nothing can really go wrong… can it? Anything dangerous, like the fast ball on its curve, can be dealt with before it becomes a real threat. It is all under those controls. And even if you have a lingering doubt at the back of your mind, you can see that these chaps will have a way of providing reassurance. That, after all, is their job…

To read more click here.

by Kim James for Corporate Board Member at Reuters, September 11, 2009.

Corporate Board Member Launches Weekly On-Demand Webcast Series Offering Advice, Insight and Expert Dialogue on Corporate Governance Issues

Beginning today, Corporate Board Member magazine is launching “This Week in the Boardroom,” a weekly, on-demand webcast series designed to educate directors and C-suite executives on current issues that impact their strategic and operational decisions. “This Week in the Boardroom” is produced onsite at the NYSE and features weekly commentary from NYSE Euronext executives and knowledge partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Each Friday, the program will feature interviews with corporate leaders and board experts who will offer advice and concise analyses on regulatory changes, significant litigation, proxy/annual meeting developments, and other critical corporate governance issues. The program’s first guest this Friday, September 11 is NYSE Euronext CEO Duncan Niederauer…(continue reading)

by Jay W. Lorsch, Joseph L. Bower, Clayton S. Rose, and Suraj Srinivasan for Working Knowledge at Harvard Business School, September 9, 2009.

Executive Summary:

Chief executives and regulators have been blamed for the current economic crisis, but in some ways what is surprising is that boards have generally escaped notice. Clearly the experience of corporate boards in the downturn has not been explored. To understand what transpired in the boardrooms of complex companies, and to offer a prescription to improve board effectiveness, eight senior faculty members of the HBS Corporate Governance Initiative talked with 45 prominent directors about what has happened to their companies and why. These directors, who serve on the boards of financial institutions and other complex companies, were asked two broad questions: How well did their boards function before the recession? And, what do they believe should be improved as they look to the future?

This white paper first explains how the interviewees characterize the strengths of their boards, then examines in depth six areas in which they identified shortcomings or needs for improvement: 1) clarifying the board’s role; 2) acquiring better information and deeper knowledge of the company; 3) maintaining a sound relationship with management; 4) providing oversight of company strategy; 5) assuring management development and succession; 6) improving risk management. Finally, the paper discusses two issues that appeared not to trouble the interviewees but that the public feels are important: executive compensation and the relationship between the board and shareholders. This paper was written by Jay Lorsch with the assistance of Joseph Bower, Clayton Rose, and Suraj Srinivasan. The interviews were conducted by Joseph Bower, Srikant Datar, Raymond Gilmartin, Stephen Kaufman, Rakesh Khurana, Jay Lorsch, and Clayton Rose. Key concepts include:

• Regulations and laws offer little guidance about what specifically boards should do, and, given this lack of specificity, most boards have gradually developed an implicit understanding of what their job should be.
• Directors expressed strong consensus that the key to improving boards’ performance is not government action but action on the part of each board.
• To improve board effectiveness, each board should achieve clarity about its role in relation to that of management: the extent and nature of the board’s involvement in strategy, management succession, risk oversight, and compliance…

To download the complete paper click here.

]]> http://cgleaders.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/democracy-boardroom/ Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:11:14 +0000 santiagochaher http://cgleaders.wordpress.com/2009/09/03/democracy-boardroom/

by Philip Mattera for Dirt Diggers Digest, September 3, 2009.

Life has been tough for the Securities and Exchange Commission, what with the power grab at its expense by the Federal Reserve and new revelations that its investigators acted like Keystone Kops when looking into tips about the suspicious behavior of Bernie Madoff. Now the SEC has the opportunity to do some good. The question is whether it has the nerve to stand up to powerful corporate interests.

In May the SEC voted to propose rule changes that would enable shareholders to nominate directors for corporate boards. The Commission issued a 250-page description of the proposed changes in June and asked for public comments. A decision is expected this fall.

The process of selecting board candidates makes a mockery of the idea of corporate democracy. Except in those rare instances when a takeover effort leads to a proxy fight, potential directors are chosen by management and run unopposed. This helps ensure that the ranks of outside (non-executive) directors, who are supposed to function as watchdogs, are filled with agreeable souls…(contine reading)

So, I have been in recovery for 6 months for my eating disorder. After 20 years, I feel like I have at least the team I need in place to help me get through this.

It is coming along. I don’t drink anymore and I haven’t binged or purged in about 2 months. The intuitive eating part is getting there.

But what do I do with those voices that pop up at my moment of weakness? The tiny voice at the back of my mind trying to move to the front with “You are unlovable, stupid, fat, worthless or just plain crazy”. I have done a great job of keeping them in the back – a sign that my recovery plan is working. But lately I have just been so frustrated that they are still there.

My shrink told me that they are going to always be there. I just need to learn to acknowledge them and manage them back down. That got me to thinking…

See, in my past life..ie corporate working girl (in the non prostitute sense ) I was a pretty damn good manager. I could take tough personalities and get them to work with others – or at least stay quiet – by really caring about them. Acknowleging them. Listening to them and helping them come to a place where they were able to either help with the great goal – or – shut up.

What are the voices that hear then?
well..I am still thinking about that because whenever I come up with one of these ideas my mind gets a little soft on real examples..its pretty lame.

ok..focus.

Well, there are the voices that say:
you are too fat
You are not interesting
You are stupid
Probably wont succeed

Yeah – I know there are a lot here..and I know I am missing a bunch. Makes me feel like I am going all Cybil on the situation but my shrink assured me that Cybil didn’t know she had all that going on in her head so there was a difference. I hope so

Anyway, they can sit at the table – but they can’t rule the meeting. My goal right now is to build the business then prep for Cambodia while being emotionally available to my son and husband. The voices are going to pop up..yep..they want to be heard. That s ok, but they don’t get to participate in this goal. They are not part of it and will need to sit quiet for now.

When they do perk up I need to manage them just like I did with my team.

How? Well, I guess I will start with ” I hear you, but right now that opinion does not support what I am trying to accomplish. Let’s look at our bigger goal and decide what the right direction or outlook is to do what we are trying to accomplish.”

Sounds a little self helpy but frankly it also makes a lot of sense to me. Am I the only one who has all this going on in my head?! Seems like a lot.

I will keep you posted on how things are going.

Boardroom Golf is focused on helping women and men propel their professional growth and business success through the use of golf. The business uses web, blogs, groups, webcasts, articles and live seminars to convey the social and business benefits of golf, how to strategically implement golf as a career and leadership tool, best ways to get started, rules and golf etiquette and encouragement along the way.

Seeking interviews

One of the first goals of Boardroom Golf is to interview professional women, men and celebrities on how golf has helped their professional career growth. Participants would be willing to be interviewed by Joan Cavanaugh, past-president of the Executive Women’s Golf Association Foundation, speaker and leading authority on how the game of golf helps executives reach the boardroom.

Seeking partnerships

Boardroom Golf is seeking partnerships with women’s organizations, industry associations, corporate human resource departments, business owners, corporate executives, networking organizations, women’s groups and woman-owned businesses.

by Robert N.Walton and Michael L.Whitener from Vista Law, September 1, 2009.

Congratulations! You’ve just accepted a new position as the general counsel and board secretary with an organization that, from all appearances and based on your careful due diligence, enjoys good management and a promising future. The company might be privately held, publicly traded or a non-profit. You could be the first person in your new role, or maybe you’re succeeding someone else. Perhaps you’re a governance maven, or possibly you’re making your debut in the boardroom. Whatever combination of these or other variables might be the case, two things are clear when it comes to the organization’s corporate governance: first, it is now chiefly your responsibility; second, however thoroughly you investigated the organization before accepting its offer, your access to the board’s and management’s internal workings has been very limited up until now. It’s time to get up to speed on the intricacies of the company’s governance operations so that you can either ensure their continued effectiveness or implement any needed changes…(click here to continue reading)

by TK Kerstetter for Boardmember, September 1, 2009.

CBM: TK Kerstetter, President & CEO, Corporate Board Member

Anderson: Steve Anderson, Executive Managing Director, Executive Liability, Beecher Carlson

CBM: You spend a great deal of time talking to and advising directors. If you could have their attention for just 15 minutes, what advice would you offer to improve their effectiveness as a board?

Anderson: I know it sounds simple, but I would advise them to expect the best, but prepare for the worst. A surprising number of boards do very little crisis management planning around events that would threaten the reputation and viability of the company. For all the discussion around the increasing role of directors in enterprise risk management, there is little emphasis upon how the board would actually mobilize and respond immediately upon receiving news of a possibly catastrophic event for the company. That news usually provokes very strong and swift reactions from multiple stakeholders, including shareholders, customers, regulators, suppliers and lenders. Boards need to be completely prepared for the first few hours and days of a crisis or risk turning a bad situation into a disastrous one. Directors are sometimes surprised to discover the extent to which uncertainty around who and what exactly caused the harm to the company creates tremendous tension in what were previously congenial and supportive relationships between the board and senior executive officers and even between directors. By conducting crisis management simulations, boards may be able to avoid missteps in the early stages of an actual crisis.

The other advice I would offer is to pay special attention to business units that generate the highest financial returns to the company. As we have learned particularly in the financial services sector, relatively small parts of large organizations can generate out-sized profits in good times, but also bring the firm to financial ruin. Offer support to the most profitable and rapidly growing business units, but also measure the downside risk as well. Do not allow star performers and divisions to operate in an environment where they are solely responsible for their own risk controls. Keep them in the fold in terms of compliance reviews and independent reviews of their business. Do not become intoxicated with outrageous profits without regularly assessing whether those businesses are taking excessive risk to sustain or increase their growth. The attention will very often not be welcomed by star performers, but it is nevertheless necessary as a matter of sound corporate governance…

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