Every year, shareholders vote to appoint or reappoint boards to act on their behalf to ensure the company maximizes shareholder value. And enlightened boards are not waiting for activists but instead are pushing the “reset” button and reflecting on questions like “What are the characteristics of a high-performing board”? and “How do they benchmark themselves against this gold standard”? A model to use as a framework and then customize to your needs is the one established in the Blue Ribbon Commission on Board Evaluations.
Resource Search
Many organizations are realizing that HR executives’ mandate extends beyond figuring out the firm’s health insurance and writing the employee handbook. They are key to creating a positive work culture and attracting (and keeping) talented employees—all essential to the success of any enterprise. In the world of human resources, Mike Feiner and Bill Conaty are known as the progenitors of two of the world’s greatest coaching trees.
High performing CFOs in financial services organizations integrate data-driven decision-making activities across the entire company, changing the role of finance from back-room financial reporters into forward-thinking analysts and trusted advisors. This infographic shows how they do it and how you can too.
In offices around the world Millennials are rapidly becoming managers and even senior executives. Some assistance from their employers could help, but at least right now, many organizations don’t prioritize grooming millennials as leaders. To some degree, the shift has caught many off guard. At the end of the day, the millions of millennials who are managers or soon will be are going to have to learn to own the fact that they are now bosses.
Organizations that want to develop or retain a competitive advantage should create a diverse and inclusive environment where all can thrive. This means addressing both the company-wide structural and behavioral issues that may be preventing people from achieving their full potential. It also means taking on an approach involving six choices and seeing how they can be applied effectively by underrepresented employees.
A global talent crisis is looming. Leaders who do grasp the situation’s gravity still struggle to make talent a priority. Inaction is not an appropriate response to the talent crunch. While the new economy means markets move so quickly they are difficult to predict, organizations can survive by developing a vision and employing models and scenarios to plan and prepare for ways the future may unfold.
Disruptive forces are driving the future of work. By analyzing the leadership profiles of 150,000 leaders, this study underlines the five key qualities of effective, future-focused leadership—qualities which correlate with a country’s ability to innovate and which correlate with a company’s likelihood of being an acclaimed brand. It also reveals how well leaders in 18 key global markets are performing in each dimension, and where improvement is urgently needed.
One of the biggest hurdles for family businesses is the need to develop an attractive long-term incentive plan that recognizes enterprise value over time and is competitive with plans offered by public and private equity owned businesses. As a result, many firms are turning toward phantom stock—a long-term incentive vehicle that provides equity-like awards, without using actual shares.
As a business owner, you wouldn’t operate without a clear vision and strategic plan. And you wouldn’t embark on a new initiative without first reviewing your cash flow and income statement to know how realistic your plans are. For ultra-high net worth families, looking at family wealth through a similar lens, and treating your wealth as a business can help you achieve your wealth goals and objectives.
If you are a business owner, one thing is certain: At some point, you will exit your company. In order to leave—on your terms and when the time is right—you should begin to design your plan now in order to achieve a successful outcome. Many owners often believe that their exit plan begins when they receive an offer for their business. That should not be the case. Exit planning is a journey. If done correctly, you will increase the chances of your transition vision coming true.