The Author
RAM CHARAN is the go-to adviser for corporate directors and CEOs. Highly sought for his unique insights and practical wisdom, Charan has counseled some of the world's most successful and prominent business leaders at companies including General Electric, DuPont, Verizon, and EMC. His expertise in corporate governance stems from first-hand experiences helping boards with strategy sessions, successions, self-evaluations, and CEO compensation. Charan is co-host of the Fortune Boardroom Forums, has served on the NACD's Blue Ribbon Commission on Corporate Governance, and is director of the Six Sigma Academy and of Austin Industries in Dallas. He is the coauthor of two best-sellers-Execution and Confronting Reality-and has been published by Fortune and Harvard Business Review. Charan is the author of the 1998 book Boards at Work. He has an MBA with high distinction and a doctoral degree with boards of directors as a field of study from the Harvard Business School.

Part One: Boards in Transition.

1. The Three Phases of a Board's Evolution.

2. What Makes a Board Progressive.

Part Two: The Three Building Blocks of Progressive Boards.

3. Group Dynamics.

4. Information Architecture.

5. Focus on Substantive Issues.

Part Three: Contributions That Count.

6. The Right CEO and Succession.

7. CEO Compensation.

8. The Right Strategy.

9. The Leadership Gene Pool.

10. Monitoring Health, Performance, and Risk.

Part Four: Maintaining Momentum.

11. Board Operations.

12. Working with Investors.

Conclusion: Leveraging the Board for Competitive Advantage.

Appendix A: Sample Strategy Blueprint.

Appendix B: The Research Agenda.

Acknowledgments.

About the Author.

Index.