The CEO's Boss, originally published in 2010, is the definitive guide to a productive working relationship between corporate boards and CEOs. Speaking to an era when company directors must monitor the actions and day-to-day operations of their CEO, William M. Klepper offers eight essential lessons to help boards operate more effectively in this bold and independent role. Since the publication of the first edition, Klepper has continued to develop and apply its lessons for a variety of businesses and settings. In this second edition, Klepper renews the paradigm set forth in the first, with new case studies of companies such as Wells Fargo, BP, Hewlett-Packard, and Proctor & Gamble. Giving directors, executives, investors, and stakeholders the tools to make crucial relationships work, Klepper details the best techniques for selecting the right CEO, establishing a working relationship, and giving effective feedback. He affirms the importance of the social contract between directors and their CEOs, encourages directors to embrace their independence, and teaches executives to value tough love. He revisits the first edition's case studies and derives new insights from how these companies followed-or failed to heed-the book's precepts. He also takes a close look at the predictions he made almost ten years ago, providing new forecasts and integrating core knowledge to ensure that The CEO's Boss remains essential in our ever-changing business landscape.

In order to avoid another Enron, WorldCom, or Tyco, company directors have assumed a bold and independent role in the boardroom, monitoring the actions and day-to-day operations of the CEO. This dramatic shift has created a new dynamic, one that requires careful negotiation from both parties to get the job done. Giving directors, executives, investors, and stakeholders the tools to make this relationship work, William M. Klepper describes the best techniques for building a productive partnership and establishing a plan of action for a variety of businesses and settings.

Klepper, an executive educator, has worked with AT&T, Bausch & Lomb, Johnson & Johnson, Sony, Sun Microsystems, and a host of other corporations. He knows what makes a healthy partnership between a board and its CEO and the consequences of a bad fit. In this book, he details the eight practices of successful executives, such as facilitating innovation, motivating change, and developing leadership skills, and he explains what directors need to evaluate, such as working style, social behavior, and the handling of stress, before they commit to hiring a CEO.

The most critical element is the social contract, in which directors and their CEOs agree to be transparent, continually reassess their company's risk, maintain core company values, and make a commitment to their stakeholders. These include employees, shareholders, customers, and the community. In this essential volume, Klepper encourages directors to embrace their independence, and he teaches executives to value tough love.