In Boardroom Excellence, author Paul Brountas, a corporate attorney with more than forty years experience, discusses the qualities and components of effective boards in today’s post-Enron environment. Written in a concise format, the book is filled with informative practical advice for board members of private, public, and nonprofit organizations. Boardroom Excellence contains an informed discussion of fundamental corporate governance issues, including the duties and responsibilities of directors and the proper interaction of the board with the CEO and management. Brountas reveals how board members can be most effective when they are independent, possess integrity, are well-informed and involved, and are proactive. Boardroom Excellence offers timely information about Establishing the values and qualities that board members should possess Developing an environment in the boardroom where skepticism and serious discussion are encouraged Understanding what the CEO expects of the board and what the board expects of the CEO Creating effective independent audit, compensation, nominating, and governance committees Formulating guidelines for periodic evaluation of the performance of the board and individual board members

The perfect board - Board manners and the director from hell - Things boards could do better - Ten best practices of modern corporate governance - Board and director evaluation - Advisory boards - Board responsibilities - Compensation of company directors - Director accreditation - Executive compensation issues - The rubber meets the road : challenges facing corporations - Corporate responsability - Institutional investors - Some contemporary board issues : hostile takeovers - Three core principles of effective coporate governance.

Distinguished governance experts offer cures for what ails our boards of directors In light of corporate malfeasance in recent years, the governance of corporations has been receiving great attention from regulators, researchers, shareholders, and directors themselves. Based on Richard Leblanc's in-depth five-year study of 39 boards of directors of both for- and not-for-profit organizations, Building a Better Board goes behind the scenes to reveal the inner workings of boards of directors, including how they make decisions. Recently chosen as one of Canada's "Top 40 Under 40"(TM), Dr Richard Leblanc is an award-winning teacher and researcher, certified management consultant, professional speaker, professor, lawyer and specialist on boards of directors. He can be reached at [email protected]. James Gillies, PhD (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), is Professor Emeritus at the Schulich School of Business, York University, where he serves as Chair of the Canada-Russia Corporate Governance Program.

Corporate governance has become a hot topic on both sides of the Atlantic. Myths and misunderstandings abound. What constitutes a competent director and an effective board? How are directors selected and prepared for boardroom appointments? How can a director become a more effective member of the boardroom team? Are you satisfied wit the performance and composition of your company's board?

This book is an exceptional resource for leaders at every level across industries. An insightful guidebook comprised of 40 illuminating principles showcasing the fundamental competencies that impact performance in the boardroom and beyond, each chapter includes the following core components: 1) a robust, but succinct discussion introducing each principle; 2) key strategies providing straightforward guidance on how to master each principle; 3) a selection of thoughtful journal questions that allow for meaningful introspection, and finally, 4) a leadership challenge—a stretch goal—that brings each principle into immediate, scalable focus. Whether a seasoned or emerging leader, each reader will discover useful perspectives contained within each chapter designed to firmly orient their thinking and behavior towards leadership excellence. An enduring resource for circumstances in which every leader will inevitably find him or herself confronting, it will also serve as the “go to” professional development resource for elevating leadership brands and facilitating the necessary trench work required to develop competent and confident leaders regardless of industry or expertise. Different from traditional books that provide a one-dimensional view of what leadership is and do little more than categorize existing traits, Poised for Excellence breaks the mold. It creates the context for understanding leadership development as a holistic process: By focusing on the mastery of fundamental principles structured to develop the whole person through service to self and others, it ignites an evolutionary process that cultivates 360 degrees of effective leadership. It directs readers to stake a bold claim to their success and transform the way they show up in the boardroom and beyond. Poised for Excellence was written to nurture the leadership potential in business leaders who desire to operate in excellence and believe that learning and practice are non-negotiable aspects of leadership success.

Why top scholars make the best university leaders Socrates in the Boardroom argues that world-class scholars, not administrators, make the best leaders of research universities. Amanda Goodall cuts through the rhetoric and misinformation swirling around this contentious issue—such as the assertion that academics simply don't have the managerial expertise needed to head the world's leading schools—using hard evidence and careful, dispassionate analysis. She shows precisely why experts need leaders who are experts like themselves. Goodall draws from the latest data on the world's premier research universities along with in-depth interviews with top university leaders both past and present, including University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann; Derek Bok and Lawrence Summers, former presidents of Harvard University; John Hood, former vice chancellor of the University of Oxford; Cornell University President David Skorton; and many others. Goodall explains why the most effective leaders are those who have deep expertise in what their organizations actually do. Her findings carry broad implications for the management of higher education, and she demonstrates that the same fundamental principle holds true for other important business sectors as well. Experts, not managers, make the best leaders. Read Socrates in the Boardroom and learn why.

The definitive leadership guide on safe practices The release of chemicals and other hazardous materials pose significant, potentially catastrophic threats worldwide. An alarming number of such events, all of which are preventable, occur too often. Reducing the frequency of serious incidents is a fundamental responsibility of leadership at all levels, from frontline managers and supervisors to C-suite executives and the board of directors as well. Process Safety Leadership from the Boardroom to the Frontline is a practical, authoritative guide that clearly demonstrates how to create a viable culture of safety within an organization, implement and maintain disciplined management systems, and address the risks of process safety deficiencies. The most important factor in any management system is leadership. For chemical process safety management, effective and informed leadership provides direction, reinforces commitment, and drives responsibility. Written by experts from the Center for Chemical Process Safety, the world's largest provider of engineering curriculum materials for process safety, this pragmatic book contains the critical information and guidelines required to lead and manage process safety. Detailed yet accessible chapters examine topics such as strengthening management system accountability, driving operation within constraints, ensuring corporate memory, verifying execution, and more. Designed to be frequently used, shared, and discussed by leadership teams throughout an organization, this indispensable resource: Demonstrates the many ways process safety benefits an organization, based on benchmarking and broad industrial experience Develops skills and expands knowledge needed to drive consistent, reliable process safety performance Describes essential behaviors and actions for leaders to drive excellence in process safety cultures and disciplined management systems Helps establish risk criteria and safeguards for companies Presents new and previously unpublished experiences, approaches, and thinking Written for executives, plant leaders, functional managers, frontline supervisors and also individual contributors, Process Safety Leadership from the Boardroom to the Frontline provides a much-needed guide for instituting safe practices within a company. The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) has been the world leader in developing and disseminating information on process safety management and technology since 1985. The CCPS, an industry technology alliance of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), has published over 100 books in its process safety guidelines and process safety concepts series, and over 10 training modules through its Safety in Chemical Engineering Education (SAChE) series.