Board Governance

"Conferences are great, but we needed to know what's best for our board. Our problem was solved at a fraction of the cost…and now we're a model for others."

Board governance is increasingly complex, with heightened scrutiny of directors and boards. CEO Perspective Group has successfully structured, developed, assisted and guided boards and directors for over 20 years and is recognized as a thought leader in board interaction.

Boards frequently need assistance in applying best practices to their company, operating as a cohesive body, succession planning and confronting truly difficult issues, including corporate crisis or a CEO termination. Directors frequently seek CEO Perspective Group's aid to handle internal disruptions, be more effective, and guidance as new board members — knowing the guidance will be discrete, wise and practical.

Assessment of current and potential top executives is a Soder forte. Thus a 1992 Business Week article warned that Soder had been contacted "by newly assertive outside directors to evaluate CEOs." A 1993 WSJ article "Corporate Chiefs Polish Their Relations with Directors" described Soder's coaching of a company president, who 4 months later became CEO. In 1997 her ground-breaking research on the Early Warning Signs© on CEO failure was featured in talks and conferences. Clarke, Soder and then partner Geraldine Ferraro described how to use these signs and address other crises at a Corporate Board Best Practices seminar, several Conference Board seminars and various talks, plus two notable articles for Directors & Boards Magazine, "How To Avoid Firing Your CEO" and "Ready, Fire (the CEO), Aim." Directors & Boards selected the warning signs article for their 30-year anniversary edition (email for copy).

CEO Perspective Group's work has prevented chief executive terminations and enabled smoother transitions. Soder's cover article for the National Association of Corporate Directors "CEO Selection and Evaluation Today: What Directors Say" was the first comprehensive study and article on CEO Assessment and Board Practices and frequently used for CEO succession. In "Blood is Thicker Than EPS" Directors & Boards, 2006 Clarke advises how to excel as a director of a family-owned company. Clarke was an early advocate of now routine board practices, including increased number of outside directors and better governance practices for family, private and nonprofit boards.

Subsequent legislative and media attention, articles and further studies of Board practices keep CEO Perspective Group at the forefront of corporate governance issues. Leading members of Congress, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Brookings Institution, governance centers and associations have all praised CEO Perspective Group's work.

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