"By far the best book on corporate and institutional governance." —Nicholas Katzenbach, former attorney general of the United States In his new foreword to The Board Book, former Mellon Foundation and Princeton University president William G. Bowen brings his immense experience to bear on the most pressing questions facing boards of directors and trustees today: seeking collaborative relationships and placing a renewed emphasis on sustainable initiatives. The strategies Bowen relates throughout the book foster the collegiality and sense of purpose—more important in today’s turbulent times than ever before—that are integral to any effective board.

"The author's guidance is backed up by research and hundreds of interviews - information that everyone in business can use: senior executives get the tools to create and sustain effective boards; management gets a clear understanding of good corporate governance; directors get essential information on how to optimize their roles; employees get an accurate reading on the health of their company; and investors get a critical benchmark for evaluating a company."--BOOK JACKET.

“In equal parts a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of some of our best-loved institutions and a guide on how governing boards should work” - HRDirector Throughout the world, thousands of people give their time, skill and energy to serving on a board. From local councils to international corporations – boards play a critical role in the running and success of any organisation, large and small. In On Board John Tusa brings us behind the closed doors of the boardroom to provide an insight into the inner-working of boards. From personal squabbles to financial crises, Tusa shares his experiences serving on a wide variety of international boards such as the British Museum and American Public Radio. These lively life-stories unveil how boards overcome deep-set divisions, appoint new members and survive in times of chaos. Through these stories, Tusa provides lessons and tips on how to effectively operate in cooperative business environments. Tusa teaches the reader how to overcome the big egos and how to work collaboratively yet effectively. On Board is not only an engaging foray into the vibrant career of John Tusa - it is also a comprehensive guide to anyone who struggles to work on boards or committees - or in any cooperative environment.

"Bill Bowen’s powerful insights into the principles and practices of institutional governance make his new book ‘must reading’ for all board members." —H. B. Atwater, Jr. Chairman of the Board and CEO General Mills, Inc. "The ‘old boys’ club’ of the boardroom no longer works as companies and organizations re-engineer for the global challenge. Dr. Bowen’s thoughtful and incisive analysis of issues and his prescriptions for good governance are must reading for all responsible board members." —W. Michael Blumenthal Former Secretary of the Treasury and Limited Partner, Lazard Freres & Co. "This thoughtful, lively, and well-written comparison of the many similarities and striking differences in the governance of not-for-profit and for-profit corporations is a unique resource from which both sectors will benefit.… This valuable book, and in particular its twenty ‘presumptive norms’ to govern how boards function, will certainly establish a new and important agenda for management and directors." —Helene L. Kaplan Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom "Dr. Bowen brings to Inside the Boardroom unusual qualifications: a distinguished economist who has served as university president, foundation executive, and [as a member of] several for-profit and nonprofit boards of directors. From this varied experience he combines scholarship with corporate reality in ways which provide wisdom, insight, and guidance as to how boards should work and how in fact they do work, and what they can and cannot contribute to management. Best of all, he does so in a thoroughly readable way." —Nicholas Katzenbach, Partner Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland and Perretti Former United States Attorney General Former Senior Vice President and General Counsel, IBM Corporation "This superb study rests on Bowen’s extensive experience of both corporate and nonprofit boards and his personal qualities of lucidity, perceptiveness, intellectual acuity, and fair-mindedness. Readable, fresh, jargon-free, and thoughtful, the book is a gem." —Richard W. Lyman President Emeritus, The Rockefeller Foundation President Emeritus, Stanford University "William Bowen is the finest example of America’s meritocracy. He rose, by ability and wisdom, from Main Street to the highest counsel of business and philanthropy while gaining along the way admiration for scholarly innovations as an economist and leadership as President of Princeton University. In this short book he addresses—from experience and with analytical precision—the vital problem of how outside directors might help improve governance of business corporations and non-profit institutions. Read. Ponder." —Paul A. Samuelson Nobel Laureate in Economics Department of Economics, M.I.T.

A new framework for helping nonprofit organizations maximize the effectiveness of their boards. Written by noted consultants and researchers attuned to the needs of practitioners, Governance as Leadership redefines nonprofit governance. It provides a powerful framework for a new covenant between trustees and executives: more macrogovernance in exchange for less micromanagement. Informed by theories that have transformed the practice of organizational leadership, this book sheds new light on the traditional fiduciary and strategic work of the board and introduces a critical third dimension of effective trusteeship: generative governance. It serves boards as both a resource of fresh approaches to familiar territory and a lucid guide to important new territory, and provides a road map that leads nonprofit trustees and executives to governance as leadership. Governance as Leadership was developed in collaboration with BoardSource, the premier resource for practical information, tools and best practices, training, and leadership development for board members of nonprofit organizations. Through its highly acclaimed programs and services, BoardSource enables organizations to fulfill their missions by helping build effective nonprofit boards and offering credible support in solving tough problems. For the latest in nonprofit governance, visit www.boardsource.org, or call us at 1-800-883-6262.

"How would you compare what you expected of board service versus the reality?" "What do you want to say to lifelong learners of corporate governance?" Compiling wisdom and practical knowledge from interviews with over 40 board directors, spanning board chairs and CEOs at public companies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations, The Art of Director Excellence, Volume 1 presents insightful answers to these questions and more. It explores a variety of important topics in corporate governance, including developing business strategy with management, navigating risks, being a board chair or committee member on different types of boards, and improving ESG and diversity, along with the many differences in how these decisions are handled in North America, Asia, and Europe. While this book is an invaluable asset for both new and existing board directors inside the boardroom, it has use outside it as well. The real-world wisdom and experience in this volume will complement academic textbooks as shown in the appendix, which cross references commonly used textbooks to show how this book matches their contents. Academics, business school faculty and students in executive education, as well as graduate and undergraduate corporate governance classes will benefit immensely from this book. Emerging leaders in investment banking, proxy advisory, and executive recruiting will gain knowledge of the inner workings of the boardroom.

How a visionary university and foundation president tackled some of the thorniest problems facing higher education As provost and then president of Princeton University, William G. Bowen (1933–2016) took on the biggest and most complex challenges confronting higher education: cost disease, inclusion, affirmative action, college access, and college completion. Later, as president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, he took his vision for higher education—and the strategies for accomplishing that vision—to a larger arena. Along the way, he wrote a series of influential books, including the widely read The Shape of the River (coauthored with Derek Bok), which documented the success of policies designed to increase racial diversity at elite institutions. In Changing the Game, drawing on deep archival research and hundreds of interviews, Nancy Weiss Malkiel argues that Bowen was the most consequential higher education leader of his generation. Bowen, who became Princeton’s president in 1972 at the age of 38, worked to shore up the university’s financial stability, implement coeducation, and create a more inclusive institution. Breaking through the traditional Ivy League demographics of white, Protestant, and male, he embraced equal access in admissions for women and men and actively sought to enroll Black, Hispanic, and Asian American students. To “increase the intellectual muscle of the faculty,” he used targeted recruiting and enforced higher scholarly standards. In 1988, Bowen moved on to Mellon, where, among many other accomplishments, he developed digital research tools, most notably JSTOR, and promoted racial diversity through the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. Attacking problems with tenacity, insight, and deep knowledge, Bowen showed the world of higher education how a visionary leader can transform an institution.