What CEOs Really Think of Their Boards

In the wake of the corporate missteps of recent years, we’ve heard plenty about how boards of directors should act as more-responsible stewards. But one voice has been notably missing from the chorus of advice—the voice of the CEO.

In this article from the April 2013 issue of Harvard Business Review, the authors, who include the founder of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, tapped their networks to ask dozens of well-regarded chief executives: What keeps boards from being as effective as they could be? Are they really the cartooned millstone around the CEO’s neck, or do they help shape the enterprise in positive ways? What can they do to become a greater strategic asset?