Recent Articles from Tracy Houston
The tech-savvy board
Growth is the cornerstone of corporate strategy. It is imperative for Boards of Directors to work collaboratively as a team to bring all strategic growth opportunities to the table. In today’s rapidly changing world, where growth is intimately linked with technology with technology enabled growth the norm versus the exception, the BOD team needs technology […]
The engaged employee
Employee engagement is the next competitive advantage. To leverage human capital, directors need to ask management for leading indicators of the business. Continuous improvement processes and operational excellence helped companies achieve higher levels of performance, but they involve only a frac...
Strategic assumptions
One of the most daunting tasks leaders face is getting the corporate strategy right. One aspect of developing an effective corporate strategy is acknowledging that assumptions are being made in the development of the strategy. What often happens is that strategic assumptions are rarely clearly do...
Board evals: Getting it right
In a noted move towards corporate transparency, a recent study group of public company directors and a few academics identified seven gaps on their own board room turf: purpose, culture, leadership, information, advice, debate and self-renewal. The report goes on to state boards should “develop policies and practices to ensure ongoing evaluation and education of […]
Does your board lead?
I’ve recently pondered the question of excellence and leadership in the boardroom. With that in mind, I interviewed Bob and Gregg Vanourek, authors of the new book, Triple Crown Leadership: Building Excellent, Ethical, and Enduring Organizations . Bob and Gregg interviewed CEOs, board members, and officers in sixty-one organizations in eleven countries for this book and […]
A new era for boards and shareholders
With the new era of increased shareholder and board engagement birthed by the Dodd-Frank legislation, comes a number of challenges for companies with diverse shareholder bases that have differing and, at times, competing views. The intersection of board and shareholder relations really gets at the heart of the board’s strategic leadership competency and the responsibilities […]
The CEO search: Board members, beware
Growth is the cornerstone of corporate strategy. Leaders who can drive corporate growth while motivating the workforce are in high demand. That said, finding the next CEO can be a daunting challenge for the board. Whether the precipitating issue is an impending retirement, nonperformance or just that the skill set is no longer a match […]
The wild, wild world of compliance
Blind Compliance or Effective Compliance Just when you thought that the world of corporate directors could not be more complex and challenging, the meltdown of 2008 brings in what may be an entirely new governance environment. Liability and the regulatory consequences of the catastrophe have intensified directors’ concerns. Just a few years after the passage […]
Future directors: Five key areas for questions
Being a director on board is a tradeoff. On the one hand, there is exposure to reputational and financial risk. On the other hand, there are benefits – tangible and intangible. I often advise board candidates to take the career opportunity mindset of fit over status or honor. In the good fit mindset, questions are […]
Next director: Five key traits for the nominating committee
Now that the worst of the financial meltdown seems to be behind us and we begin conversations around modernizing our current form of capitalism, boards may begin to contemplate this new normal and the need to add directors to the slate. Recently, I was in a conversation with Bill Guy, founder, chairman and CEO of […]
The board’s role in IT oversight
I recently interviewed Bill Arend, Regional Manager for Oracle’s North America Applications business unit. He is an advisory board member of the National Association of Corporate Directors – Texas Tri-Cities Chapter. He facilitated the chapter’s January 2011 meeting titled “The Board’s Role in IT Oversight.” Q: What is driving the need for a meeting dedicated [&[...]
The meaning of green in the boardroom
As sustainability has become increasingly entrenched in public policy, it’s winding its way into corporate boardrooms, prompting directors to examine how to incorporate it into a company’s strategic direction. The Texas TriCities Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors held a meeting in September called “Is It Hard Being Green?” Increased congressional an[...]