Governance Revolution

Corporations and their boards are under growing attack for many reasons. Governance issues are front and center, yet there is little understanding of what directors and boards actually do. Written in an accessible and human voice, What Every Board Member Needs to Know provides information and context essential to anyone seeking to understand how corporations and their stewards - the board of directors - can and should function. Deborah Hicks Midanek Bailey offers a useful insight into what directors of businesses, charities, and government agencies actually do, the current standards for directors and why they exist, and a timely discussion of how clarity of purpose can improve board and director effectiveness. Written by a seasoned director with a variety of relevant experience in for-profit, charitable, and government board service, and liberally laced with stories and cases illustrating the tricky issues directors wrestle with, this book is the essential common-sense companion for anyone working with a board, serving on a board, or wanting to do so. Directors, aspiring directors, investors, and students of corporate behavior will benefit from this highly readable description of the cloistered boardroom.