3. Yvonne Schlaeppi and the Importance of Corporate Strategy

02/15/20 • 33 min

Yvonne Schlaeppi is passionate about corporate strategy, and she believes it’s one of the most important things a board can do for their company. Spending a significant amount of time on board work, across many companies and several continents, Yvonne is highly experienced and enthusiastic in her work as a board member.

Having built a strong background working on boards in the U.S., UK and Europe, Yvonne shares her insight into the differences in boards across countries, how to navigate difficult decisions, and what we can learn from observing other boards in action.

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Big Ideas

Differences in structures and culture between U.S. and European boards. [08:27]

What we can learn from observing other boards. [22:31]

Quotes

“I do believe that being more present and involved and learning more about the company and what it’s going through makes for a more effective board.” [05:45]

“Most boards would be well-served to spend more time on strategy, which is really where they can make their best contribution.” [27:27]

“The baseline for good board practice is to ensure, as best as you can as a board member, that your board undertakes decision-making in a deliberative, prudential and reasoned way.” [30:03]

Thanks for listening!

We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here.

Big Ideas

Differences in structures and culture between U.S. and European boards. [08:27]

What we can learn from observing other boards. [22:31]

Quotes

“I do believe that being more present and involved and learning more about the company and what it’s going through makes for a more effective board.” [05:45]

“Most boards would be well-served to spend more time on strategy, which is really where they can make their best contribution.” [27:27]

“The baseline for good board practice is to ensure, as best as you can as a board member, that your board undertakes decision-making in a deliberative, prudential and reasoned way.” [30:03]

Previous Episode

2. Rick Williams on Trust: Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset

It’s easy to think of companies as big, faceless organizations, valued only for profit margins or stock potential. But it’s precisely when organizations are viewed only by the numbers, and not by the people working within them, that company culture suffers and things can go south.

Rick Williams knows that the key to success is creating an atmosphere of openness and trust that makes for a great board of directors or advisors, and a healthy company overall. Rick spent many years as a consultant, founded his own real estate investment company, and returned to consulting once again. He has been an executive, board member and board chair - in addition to mentoring CEO’s. Now authoring his first book, Create the Future For Your Company and Yourself, Rick shares his most valuable insights into corporate culture and governance boards – namely that the best thing you can do for your company is to honor the people within it.

Links

Arthur D. Little Consulting

Boston Consulting Group

McKinsey & Company

Quotes

“It’s a very human process...The truth is [companies] are collections of people working together.” [06:42]

“You have to be somebody who’s an empathetic listener.” [11:40]

“The leader has to set cultural expectations. So it has to be expectations for openness, trust, willingness to actually engage in difficult conversations. That’s where the culture part of it comes in.” [20:42]

Big Ideas

The nexus of Williams’ new book and how it can benefit companies as a whole. [06:56]

Creating an atmosphere of faith in transition of leadership. [11:30]

How to develop a culture of trust and openness. [21:04]

Thanks for listening!

We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here.

Next Episode

4. Board Diversity, private company boards & the impact of social media: a conversation with Beth Boland

Beth Boland is a force to be reckoned with. Named one of Massachusetts “most influential lawyers,” Beth was first initiated into the world of shareholder defense working as a clerk for a district judge on the Mike Milken and Ivan Boesky cases. Now chair of Securities Enforcement & Litigation Practice at Foley & Lardner LLP, she also serves as President of the New England chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

An expert on how boards operate, she champions the expansion of diversity on boards and has worked tirelessly to bring gender diversity to the boardroom.

Thanks for listening! We love our listeners! Drop us a line or give us guest suggestions here

Quotes

“I think folks are really growing away from the idea of thinking of their board as a potential nuisance that they have to deal with, and [thinking of it] as one that is really a strategic asset.” [12:10]

“I guarantee you that there are some rock star women and aspiring directors of color who will knock your socks off.” [19:05]

“Take care of your people, who will take care of your product, which will take care of your shareholders.” [27:40]

Big Ideas

The increasing interest of private companies to run their boards more similarly to their publicly held counterparts. [09:50]

Board expansion and diversity. [14:53]

Delaware courts’ decision to hold boards accountable for additional stakeholder interests. [22:38]

Links

Beth Boland's Website

Beth Boland on LinkedIn

B Corps

Business Roundtable

NACD

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