Having served on the Board of some of the most prominent Fortune 100 companies, Mr. Parsons sheds some light on what makes a good Board member.

When Mr. Parsons would recruit for boards, he looked for someone “available to reason.” Meaning someone who listens and evaluates a proposition and has a thoughtful course of action in response to the issue at hand.

Mr. Parsons also points out:

1. Board members have to be collaborative as a concerted effort outperforms individual efforts when advising a company.
2. The board is a CEOs only natural predator if you don’t have some kind of accommodation with them

Stay tuned for EP6.