凱鵬華盈合伙人:如何組建一個強大的董事會?
????每一位出色的CEO背后都有一個出色的董事會。但我注意到,對于成立一個強有力的董事會這項任務,許多初創(chuàng)公司創(chuàng)始人往往是一拖再拖。亞馬遜和谷歌等成功的科技公司,在很早便成立了董事會。當然,這兩家公司都是特例;通常情況下,公司很少會預想到?jīng)]有董事會的后果,直至他們遇到麻煩。 ????許多董事會認為他們只需要向CEO負責,結(jié)果卻陷入困境。 ????多年來,我一直在為初創(chuàng)公司提供董事會管理與高管招聘方面的咨詢,我認為董事會真正的職責是聘用和解雇CEO。畢竟,好的董事會清楚他們要對彼此負責,對公司股東負責。此外,好的董事會在想法、背景和觀點方面是多元化的。下面的統(tǒng)計數(shù)據(jù)值得反復思考:硅谷董事中僅有10%為女性,風投投資的初創(chuàng)公司中,女性創(chuàng)始人或CEO的百分比更低。 ????如何組建一個好的董事會?下面是一些實用的建議。 ????清楚公司的愿景。你希望公司實現(xiàn)什么目標?明確你需要董事會做些什么來實現(xiàn)這些目標。在考慮和確定你需要董事會成員具備的特性、技能與經(jīng)驗時,要牢記公司的目標。 ????尋找正確的技能。制作一個簡單的表格,將市場中現(xiàn)有的特性綜合在一起。將你期望的“最終”董事會的所有方面在表格中列出。在表格中填寫每一位董事的潛在想法,根據(jù)這些想法的深度或契合度以及成功聘用的可能性進行排名。對這個清單及時更新,將其作為董事會議上一個積極的討論項目。 ????確定董事會成員的職責與責任。正如吉姆?柯林斯所說:“你是否為合適的人準備了合適的位置?”成立委員會或劃定關鍵責任范圍永遠不會過早。你是否有最優(yōu)秀的審計主管或薪酬主管?誰是你在關鍵領域可以依靠的首席董事? ????創(chuàng)建一種文化,鼓勵辯論。培養(yǎng)一種廣納諫言和獨立的文化。你希望聽到不同的意見和觀點,幫助你思考各種選擇??紤]你希望董事會帶來的文化與互動:是富有激情的激烈辯論,還是頭腦清醒、慎重的討論?你希望董事會能夠推動你前進,讓你感覺不舒服,挑戰(zhàn)傳統(tǒng)思維。與此同時,你想要的是一個董事會,而不是運營委員會,所以設定界限很重要。 ????突破舒適區(qū)。董事會往往傾向于實現(xiàn)熟悉的和舒服的目標,這樣做的結(jié)果就是同質(zhì)化。因此,你應該努力實現(xiàn)意見的多樣化,不必擔心違背他人的想法做事。牢記這一點,可以幫助你保持開放心態(tài),考慮一些你不會第一時間想到的替補人選。(財富中文網(wǎng)) ????本文作者朱麗葉?德拜爾尼為凱鵬華盈高級合伙人。她為公司的客戶提供公司建設方面的咨詢服務,包括高管領導力、招聘、薪酬、公司治理和團隊建設等。 ????譯者:劉進龍/汪皓 ????審校:任文科 |
????Behind every great CEO is a great board, and I’ve noticed that startup founders tend to put off the task of building strong boards. Consider successful tech companies like Amazon and Google, that built their boards early on. They’re more an exception than the rule, however; more often than not, companies find that there are few, if any, consequences until they run into trouble. ????Many boards have gotten into trouble when they think they answer only to the CEO. ????After years of advising startups on board management and executive search, I believe that the only true role of the board is to hire and fire the CEO. After all, great boards understand that they are accountable to each other and to company shareholders. Also, great boards are diverse – in thought, background, and perspectives. The statistics bear repeating: Just 10% of Silicon Valley directors are women, and the percentage of VC-backed startups with a female founder or CEO is even lower. ????So here are some practical tips for assembling a great board. ????Know the company’s vision. Where do you want the company to go? Define what you need the board to do to achieve those goals. Keep that in mind as you consider and define the attributes, skills, and experiences that you need of your board members. ????Seek the right skills. Create a simple grid combining attributes that actually exist in the market. Draft a table with all the desired aspects of a “final” board. Fill in the table with prospective ideas for each director, ranking each in terms of depth or fit and whether that person can be recruited. Keep this list current, fresh, and ongoing, and make it an active item of discussion at board meetings. ????Develop role and responsibilities for members. As Jim Collins says, “Do you have the right people in the right seats on the bus?” It’s never too early to have committees or key areas of responsibility. Do you have the best head of audit, compensation etc.? Who are the lead directors that you as CEO can rely on in each critical area? ????Build a culture and invite debate. Foster a culture of open feedback and independence. You want different opinions and perspectives to help you consider alternatives. Consider the culture and interaction you want from your board: passionate and intense debate, or cerebral and deliberative? You want to recruit a board that pushes you, makes you uncomfortable and challenges conventional wisdom. At the same time, you want a board and not an operating committee – so setting boundaries is important. ????Break through your comfort zone. Boards tend to reach for what’s familiar and comfortable, which results in homogeneity. Knowing that, you should strive for diversity of opinion and not be afraid to go against the grain. Keeping that top of mind will help you be open-minded to alternatives you would not have considered in the first place. ????Juliet de Baubigny is a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. She advises the firm’s portfolio companies on all aspects of company building including executive leadership, recruiting, compensation, corporate governance and team-building. |