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Boardroom INSIDER for… DECEMBER

CEOS SERVE ON THEIR OWN BOARDS — BUT WHY?

The makeup of corporate boards around the world is slowly shifting,  with increased independence, stronger diversity, and more targeted skills.  But one standard remains universal – the company chief executive is inevitably also a member of the board.  “But why?” asks the lead article in the December issue of online monthly Boardroom INSIDERBI publisher and business speaker Ralph Ward writes that CEO board membership is so unquestioned that we “never step back to look at the pros and the cons.”

There are many benefits to keeping the CEO in the boardroom.  Legally, the chief is “just another board member” for a few hours, a valuable reality check reinforcing the board’s power, and offering the CEO insights on the governance role and thinking of directors.  Still, Ward writes that we overlook just “how odd it is to be one of your own supervisors.”  It becomes easy for independent outsiders on the board to defer to the chief’s knowledge and judgments.  Even if the CEO were a non-voting director, they “would always punch above their weight in discussion.”

Ward sees no prospect of moving chief executives off their own boards… “but we should still ask why?

Also in Boardroom INSIDER for December…

A purple ball is in the air with its reflection.What trends are shifting the top three board committees?
A purple ball is in the air with its reflection.Your board “skills matrix” — IR tips for disclosure.
A purple ball is in the air with its reflection. Q&A: Helping our founder say goodbye.

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My new Udemy Get Ready for Your First Board Meeting online course is for C-level career executives, entrepreneurs, investors, company founders, and all of you who’ve gained your first board role.. and want to be prepared when you walk through those boardroom doors.  Included are Q&A thought starters and “homework” projects to round out the course.  

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CONTACT: Tel 1+989-833-7615 or via email

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Ralph Ward’s latest book, Board Seeker: Your Guidebook and Career Map into the Corporate Boardroom (Business Expert Press) gathers 20 years’ experience in board counseling and research to give “board wannabes” the steps and insights needed to craft a successful board search campaign.
NOW ON AUDIOBOOK.
— Here’s why you have more “board experience” than you think (and why your current resume hides it).
— How women can jump the career obstacles they face into the boardroom.
— Finding your board search mentors and networks.
— How board searches really work (and how to turn flaws in the process to your advantage).
— Gaining the attention of board contacts and search firms.
— Prepping for a board interview… and for your first board meeting.

A purple ball is in the air with its reflection.
NEW FROM RALPH WARD!