How Boards Work: And How They Can Work Better in a Chaotic World

Description

'Highly instructive . . . provides thoughtful analysis' Financial Times 'Exactly what any prospective-or sitting-board member needs' Arianna Huffington 'A must read . . . highly engaging . . . an indispensable guide to how boards function, malfunction, and, most importantly, should operate better' Mohamed A. El-Erian Corporate boards have never been under greater pressure. They face hostility from every quarter: society, investors, and regulators. A Harvard study found that 51 percent of 18-29 year olds do not support market capitalism; in 2018, the Founder-CEO of Blackrock, the world's largest investor, warned CEOs of public companies that they "must not only deliver financial performance but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society;" On the 2020 campaign trail, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren applauded such talk but warned that they expected action. HOW BOARDS WORK is, at its core, about the need for corporate boards to fundamentally change. Not least of which is the need for the boards and the corporations that they lead to adapt to the rapid changes in business, geopolitics, technology and societal norms currently afoot. Most people, including business executives and employees, even shareholders and many legislators, understand little about what boards actually do. HOW BOARDS WORK will fill that vacuum by bringing readers into boardrooms for an insider's view of the tensions and shortcomings of boards, the conflicting priorities and trade-offs they face, and why some fail and others succeed.

Dr. Dambisa Moyo is a pre-eminent thinker, who influences key decision-makers in strategic investment and public policy. She is respected for her unique perspectives, her balance of contrarian thinking with measured judgement, and her ability to turn economic insight into investible ideas. Dambisa was named to the list of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World; has published in the Financial Times, WSJ, Barrons, Harvard Business Review and has travelled to 65 countries. In her spare time, she runs marathons, practices Pilates and is an amateur boxer.

How Boards Work is exactly what any prospective-or sitting-board member needs to understand the true rigors and realities of board life. Having seen it all, Dambisa Moyo offers valuable guidance on how boards can best focus their time and energy while grappling with social, governance, and environmental issues -- Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global, and former Uber board member How Boards Work offers a thorough and nuanced take on the ever-evolving role of corporate boards today. Dambisa Moyo provides a candid assessment of the challenges and opportunities that directors face and wisely warns of the dangers of stasis. The book is not only a must-read for the most tenured and experienced board members, but it also provides critical context to those who one day hope to have a seat at the table. CEOs and corporate leaders everywhere would also be wise to pick up this book -- Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO Ariel Investments; Chair of the Board of Directors, Starbucks; Board Member, JP Morgan; former Dreamworks board chair; and former Estee Lauder board member This highly engaging book will rightly attract those interested not just in good corporate governance but also the well-functioning of market-based economies. Drawing on her direct involvements on several boards of companies facing difficult decisions, as well as her global economic expertise, Dr Moyo has written an indispensable guide to how boards function, malfunction, and, most importantly, should operate better. In not shying away from arguing for more assertive boards to overcome costly corporate failures and malaise, she sets out an action-oriented agenda for improving governance - to deal better with long-standing challenges, including better globalization and management of our environment, and to meet mounting new ones in a post-pandemic world. Simply put, this is a must-read for those who realize that, anchored by a more diverse mindset and modernized governance structures, companies can and must play a more important role in helping society overcome too many years of low, unequal, and non-sustainable growth, as well as proliferating mistrust and spreading marginalization -- Mohamed A. El-Erian, President of Queens' College, Cambridge University; Board Member, Under Armour; and author of THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN and WHEN MARKETS COLLIDE Boards have incredible power to impact how companies and their stakeholders meet the challenges of the modern age. But boards are complex and living organisms that require more than just getting smart people in a room. Dr. Moyo's book, informed by real-world experience in negotiating complex situations, should be a must-read for any board that wants to excel and have an impact today -- Dan Loeb, Founder & CEO, Thirdpoint, and former Sothebys board member