In the “things could be worse” category: Unless you work for Hewlett-Packard, Yahoo! or News Corporation, your company isn’t discussed in “The Worst Board in America,” a video by Thomson Reuters tech correspondent Peter Lauria.
“There’s basically a race to the bottom. They’re all dysfunctional in their own way,” Lauria says of the trio of companies that have been generating negative headlines. He reviews the CEO firings, shifting strategies and downward-moving stock graphs and then names “the worst board” – well, I won’t spoil it. You can watch the video.
No doubt H-P, Yahoo! and News Corp. might respond, “Who is Peter Lauria? What qualifies him to judge the merit of our boards of directors?” And they’d be right. He’s just a journalist who covers media, technology and telecom for Reuters.
On the other hand, he’s not alone in his assessment.
The positive side of this: If you’re doing investor relations for a company that does have a long-term, consistent strategy and high-quality board and management, you’ve got some very attractive selling points for long-term investors.
Focus your IR messages on the track record of your strategy and how it’s paying off, the quality and experience of management, and the expertise of your board. The long-term investors will be with you.
Tags: Board of directors, CEOs, Investor relations, Long-term investors, Strategy
