FORTUNE Boardroom Forum
June 22-23, 2006
Chicago

Program

STRAIGHT-TALKING STRATEGY: A best practices roundtable discussion
How can you make talking about strategy more productive? Finding time to talk about strategy, and structuring the conversation so it can be most fruitful, can be difficult for boards—given the enhanced responsibilities directors have assumed post-SarbOx and the weightiness of the topic itself. What are some of the best practices CEOs employ to get directors up-to-speed on both operations and strategy—and get their feedback? When boards see red flags, how can these be best communicated with the CEO and his/her team? How can you avoid the conversation from getting too nebulous or off-track?

BUILDING THE LEADERSHIP PIPELINE: A panel discussion
Most succession planning discussions seem to fixate on the top job—the CEO. But the strongest-performing companies are able to build a deep "bench"—leaders at least two levels down who, in less than a decade, have the potential to be tomorrow's CEO and CFO. How can talent be effectively cultivated and groomed to grow into the top jobs? What role does the board play in the care and feeding of tomorrow's top executives? How can the board and the CEO prevent its top talent from walking out the door.

INTERNAL CHECK: ASSESSING BOARD and CEO PERFORMANCE
What are some of the best ways you can evaluate individual director performance? How do you assess and deal with a director who is not upholding his responsibilities? How do you assess CEO performance, and how do you communicate with top management the results of this assessment?

HOT TOPIC: COMPENSATION
In the court of public opinion, CEOs and their lieutenants are believed to be paid way too much. How can compensation for top executives be effectively scaled down without curtailing a company's ability to attract and retain top talent? If excessive compensation for CEOs cannot be easily and quickly rectified, what "interim" steps can be taken to lead to a more palatable playing field?

DOES YOUR BOARD "CLICK"? 10 QUESTIONS TO ASSESS YOUR BOARD'S CHEMISTRY
Join a group exercise on the 10 questions that reveal a board's chemistry-and offer tangible ways to improve deficiencies. This diagnostic tool will be a helpful take-away: Have your board complete the exercise after the event, and make your chemistry even better!

PRIVATE SESSIONS: GETTING THE RIGHT CHEMISTRY (Workshops)
In smaller group settings, FORTUNE editors and corporate governance experts will lead Boardroom Forum participants in an off-the-record discussion of the 10 questions—and how they believe it could be done even better.