Everyone on your board knows who the weak link is. Maybe it’s someone who has a spotty attendance record. It could be the person that doesn’t read the board notes but shows up for the coffee and schmoozing. You know who he is (& likely it is a he because 76 % of U.S. board seats are held by men, according to Spencer Stuart). Yet, even when boards conduct an annual evaluation the weakest board member remains on the board of directors. Why?

Companies and boards should consider a public outrage as a potential risk to their reputation and operations, and prepare a crisis management response playbook.

“There is only one god, and His name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: ‘not today’.” If only it were that easy for reporting companies to reply to the SEC on regulations. Imagine Bezos to Clayton: “Not today.” Because company leaders don’t have the Game of Thrones option, the best option out there is to watch out, read up, and prepare for the biggest regulatory issues and how they might impact your organization.

Al Dominick, CEO of DirectorCorps, shares the concept behind the Looking Ahead board leadership series that explores emerging ideas and opportunities with today’s key executives and directors.

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Investor Advisory Committee voted to ask the SEC to investigate whether public companies should be required to disclose information around the idea of human capital management. Analysis is underway. While it won’t impact you this proxy season, here’s what you need to know.

The current state of M&A activity contradicts predictions made in 2018. Back in December, countless articles predicted a slowing economy would lead to a slow down in M&A but as recession fears have receded, M&A has continued its hot streak.

Like your favorite suit, sustainability reporting is not new, but it looks good on your organization. Ninety-five percent of companies in the Global 250 issue a sustainability report, an issuance that is now widely considered a best practice.

Corporate fascination with M&A hasn’t eroded in 2019, and health care is a major area in the M&A game this year. Yet, the path to growth, according to this group of CEOs, is not through M&A.

2019 could be the year of the human, at least where shareholder proposals are concerned. Proposals this year run the gamut, from talent and diversity, to battling plastics and opioids. A snapshot of four human issues making the rounds at annual meetings.

Expect the pace of private equity-driven healthcare M&A to continue due to available capital and plenty of opportunities across a broad industry.