New book holds the key to a successful boardroom of directors

Many of today's most successful businessmen and entrepreneurs will agree that director and board development is the key to improving the performance of an organisation. Compared with management education and development, far too little effort is devoted to director development. Now all that is set to change with the publishing of 'Developing Directors, a handbook for building an effective boardroom team', an authoritative and comprehensive new book on director and board development available from publishers Policy Publications (www.policypublications.com).

Author Colin Coulson-Thomas has served on a variety of private sector, public sector and voluntary sector boards and helped over 100 boards to develop their board and/or company performance. The book is based upon the author's continuing research programme, which has involved over 4000 organisations from small firms to major corporations, public bodies and voluntary organisations. The research programme has clearly identified what the most successful directors and boards do so differently in those key areas that are so vital for corporate success.

'Developing Directors' highlights the fact that direction of governance is quite different from management and it is essential that all entrepreneurs and ambitious managers are aware of this distinction.

An important fact that this book does raise is that direction is not for the few. There could be two and a half million directors in the UK alone. Many people possess directional qualities but are not aware it. The book is the ultimate self-help book for those who wish to develop their potential and move up to director level.

'Developing Directors' is essential reading for chairmen, directors, consultants, and trainers charged with the task of developing dynamic boardroom teams to lead the organisations of today. Aspiring and practising directors will find it a useful introduction to the world of company direction and a guide to the ways in which more value can be added to personnel effectiveness and ultimately a company's worth.

The new book addresses a widespread desire for better board and corporate performance as well as contemporary concerns over corporate governance standards. 'Developing Directors'
identifies the knowledge, skills and personal qualities required by directors and defines the competent director and the effective board. It looks at the route to the boardroom and how to become a director, how directors are and should be prepared, and provides details of twenty four director and board development courses.

Prof. Colin Coulson-Thomas is an experienced chairman of award winning companies and Professor of Direction and Leadership at the University of Lincoln. He has advised directors in over 40 countries on how to improve board and corporate performance and this book reveals the wealth of his expertise and know-how. The book is packed with exercises and checklists, which have been specifically designed for boardroom participation. For those concerned with understanding and addressing the fundamentals the book examines the development challenge, the roles of directors and boards, the distinction between direction and management and factors affecting teamwork in the boardroom.

'Developing Directors, A handbook for building an effective boardroom team' (366 pages; ISBN 978-1-872980-32-4) is available price 34.95 plus p&p from:
www.policypublications.com/developingdirectors.htm.
It can be ordered from all good bookshops or directly from Policy Publications, Mill Reach, 12 Mill Lane, Water Newton, Cambridgeshire, PE8 6LY.