The Board Book: An Insider's Guide for Directors and Trustees

About this book

A must-have for first-time and experienced board members alike who will benefit from William G. Bowens decades of experience. Former Mellon Foundation and Princeton University president William G. Bowen has served on the boards of some of the United Statess 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.