Special Issue on Governance CEO Table
By Steve Percy, former chairman and CEO of BP America, and currently the AHC Group’s Chairman of a 32 company Workshop on Governance.
Here are CEO "takeaways" from the articles in this issue based on my reading of them as a former CEO:
1. Corporate Governance is about protecting corporate value, but good corporate governance is about enhancing corporate value and brand.
2. The key corporate asset/value that governance seeks to protect/enhance is reputation (credibility, trust, etc) that is the most important of all corporate assets in today’s markets.
3. Good corporate governance emphasizes substance over form, performance over systems. While form and systems may be important, nothing substitutes for a corporate culture of openness, integrity, accountability, and transparency as described in this issue’s case studies from Dow, GM and Ashland.
4. Managers (and Board members) need to "get real" and "get our of the office" (Board room" to test and stimulate the right culture. (See MacLean and Poole articles)
5. As Jack Welch said, "See the world as it is, " and as MacLean wrote, "don’t start believing your own PR," but "have a balanced view of both your successes and weaknesses." (See, MacLean article)
6. Strong corporate governance includes listening to, addressing, and incorporating the views of all key stakeholders – both direct and indirect. (Further information of stakeholders in previous issues of CST)
7. Industry leaders are beginning to create competitive advantage by defining the metrics by which social responsibility will be measured, judged, and acted upon. (See, case studies of Dow and Ashland)
8. EHS professionals have many of the skills necessary to help corporate leaders build value adding governance systems and cultures. (Further information at www.ahcgroup.com click "on money and markets")
Send comments and inquiries to Steve Percy or Bruce Piasecki. For subscription information, contact Celeste Richie.
with the Corporate Governance NETwork!
Contact: 
jm@corpgov.net
All material on the Corporate Governance site is copyright © since 1995 by Corporate Governance and James McRitchie except where otherwise indicated. All rights reserved.
Back to the top