Boardroom INSIDER for… MARCH

A “FIVE WEEKLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS” LIST FOR THE BOARDROOM?

Elon Musk and his DOGE team are trying to shake up the U.S. government, with one of the first moves requiring federal employees to report via email on “five things I accomplished this week.”  While responses have proven less than stellar thus far, the March issue of online monthly Boardroom INSIDER queries whether there might be a good idea here – but instead for corporate governance.

“What if chief executives were to compile a weekly update on their top five achievements for the board of directors?” asks BI publisher and business speaker Ralph Ward.  This would not just be personal tasks, but the most consequential company wins (a major new contract, a strategy review, a key hire).  This could benefit corporate governance by highlighting not just what the chief thinks really mattered, but “how it compares to what the board thinks really matters.”

Ward says this “top five” update should go both ways, too.  “What if each board member was expected to write a weekly memo of what they did for the company?” An intro to a new business prospect, working through an audit issue with the CFO, making store visits.  “Think of the benefits,” writes Ward.  “Elon Musk himself should give this a try.”

  Also in Boardroom INSIDER for March…

Four tips on how boards can deal with “Trumpworld“
The items that should always be in your board minutes
Q&A: How can I push our nonprofit to up its game?

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…is an internationally-recognized writer and commentator on the role of boards of directors, the secrets of how benchmark boards excel, gaining a board seat, and the future of governance worldwide.

Ward is the publisher of the online email newsletter Boardroom INSIDER, the worldwide source for practical, first-hand advice on better boards and directors ( www.boardroominsider.com).

He is author of the books Board Seeker: Your Guidebook and Career Map into the Corporate Boardroom (2018), Boardroom Q&A (2011), The New Boardroom Leaders (2008), Saving the Corporate Board (2003), Improving Corporate Boards: The Boardroom INSIDER Guidebook (2000), and 21st Century Corporate Board (1997).

Ward is a CPD-certified trainer, and speaks internationally on board and governance topics, and presents a “Boardroom Masterclass” seminar worldwide, with recent programs in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.  His media appearances including CNNfn, C-SPAN, Voice of America, Bloomberg Money Show, National Public Radio, Marketplace, and CNBC (U.S. and U.K.).

Ward has also edited The Corporate Board magazine, the international journal of corporate governance, since 1990. He writes and comments on boardroom matters for a number of other publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Across the Board, Crains, Vital Speeches, the Detroit Free Press, Barrons and INC.com., and serves on several advisory and non-profit boards.