Foreword, Patrick Lencioni xxix Introduction: Why Boards Matter More Than Ever xxxiii PART ONE--THE FABLE 1 ON THE EDGE 3 Coaching Highlight: Facing Fear in Leadership 13 2 A GLIMMER OF HOPE 15 Coaching Highlight: Setting the Tone 23 3 THE SECRET FORMULA 25 Coaching Highlight: Handling Conflict 37 4 THE ENEMY WITHIN 39 Coaching Highlight: Manipulating the Board 47 5 UNRAVELING FROM THE INSIDE 49 Coaching Highlight: The Danger of Inaction 59 6 REBUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP 61 Coaching Highlight: Vulnerability 68 7 ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK 71 Coaching Highlight: Side Conversations 77 8 EXPECT MORE 79 9 CATCHING THE WIND 89 Coaching Highlight: Forgiveness Versus Permission 96 10 UNCOVERING THE GEM 97 11 BREAKTHROUGH 115 Coaching Highlight: The Power of Owning Mistakes 122 12 THE BIG DAY 123 Coaching Highlight: Board Self-Evaluation 128 The Story Continues 129 PART TWO--THE MODELS AND THE PRINCIPLES 13 PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE 133 The Governance Excellence Model 135 The Secret Formula for Organizational Effectiveness 138 The Seven Disciplines of Governance Excellence 140 Board Conversations with the GEM in Action 164 14 TWENTY YEARS OF CHANGE IN THE BOARDROOM 181 From Compliance to Strategic Stewardship 182 From CEO-Controlled Agendas to Shared Leadership at the Top 183 From Culture as Soft Stuff to Culture as a Core Governance Duty 184 From Not Enough Information to Too Much at Once 186 From Quarterly Updates to Real-Time Exposure 187 From Private Boardrooms to Transparent Stakeholder Expectations 188 From Politeness to Constructive Dissent 189 From Technology as Infrastructure to Technology as Strategy 190 From Static Board Composition to Deliberate Renewal 191 From Annual Evaluations to Continuous Board Learning 191 What These Shifts Mean for Today''s Directors 192 15 BOARDROOM CULTURE 195 The Veiled Problem: Culture by Accident 195 Culture by Design 196 The Chair as Cultural Architect 197 Building Trust Beyond the Boardroom 198 Board Culture and Company Culture 199 Real-World Examples of Designed Board Culture 200 Why Intentional Culture Matters 201 Why Intentional Beats Accidental Culture 201 Closing Thoughts: Culture as the Engine of Governance 202 16 TO CHAIR OR NOT TO CHAIR: WHY SPLITTING THE ROLES MAKES SENSE FOR MOST 203 Why Some Leaders Pull It Off 204 Four Common Risks of CEO-Chair Duality 205 Recognizing the Dark Side 206 When It''s Hardest to Make the Dual Role Work 206 The Costs of Holding on Too Long 207 Why Separation Works for Most 207 A Practical Special Case 208 The Subtle Strength of an Independent Chair 209 A Friendly Bottom Line 209 17 GOVERNING CHURCHES AND CHARITIES 211 Heart for the Cause 212 Talent Matters 213 When Nonprofits Are More Complex Than Corporations 214 Dedication to Relationships 215 The Higher Standard 216 Understanding Ownership Fully 217 What Churches and Charities Can Teach Corporations 219 An Uncomfortable Caution 220 Mission Boldness in High-Complexity Nonprofits 221 Final Word 222 PART THREE--COACHING HIGHLIGHTS AND APPLICATION 18 FACING FEAR IN LEADERSHIP 225 19 SETTING THE TONE 229 20 HANDLING CONFLICT 231 21 MANIPULATING THE BOARD 235 22 THE DANGER OF INACTION 239 23 VULNERABILITY 241 24 SIDE CONVERSATIONS 245 25 FORGIVENESS VERSUS PERMISSION 249 26 THE POWER OF OWNING MISTAKES 251 27 BOARD SELF-EVALUATION 255 Epilogue: Twenty Years of Learning Together 259 Recommended Reading on Governance 263 Notes 269 Acknowledgments 283 The Author 287 Index 289.