Eight Common Traps in Board Papers

“Board papers are little bit like a bikini; what they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital”. With apologies to Irving R Levine INTRODUCTION In theory, the difficult bit about being a NED is supposed to be weighing the numerous, important and complex...

The Document vs Proposal Trap

On the face of it, there are huge similarities between significant business documents – Board submissions, say – and new business proposals. The former provides relevant information in a clear and persuasive manner, so the latter is surely the same, but...

What to do if you think the bad times may be coming

I, together with some stellar colleagues, ran a business that enjoyed 13 years of unbroken growth. But no one defies gravity forever and even the best-run businesses will face a downturn, eventually. So come a downturn, what should you do, and when should you do it?...