Customer Reviews

The Fish Rots From the Head: The Crisis in Our Boardrooms: Developing the Crucial Skills of the Competent Director

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Bob Garratt's "The Fish Rots..." for me is a first-of-a-kind kind of book. While tons and tons of management books deluge us every day this particular book stands out by expertly handling a somewhat "uncharted" territory. A territory that ordinary mortals like the majority of us have not much inkling on...on what really transpires (or what SHOULD transpire)in those subduedly-lighted, eerily silent, wood-paneled top-floor suites of corporate HQ reserved for the Board, accessible only by a non-stop key-driven elevator. The book struck my interest deeply that it inspired me to recommend it to our Business Intelligence group to develop an information system on that will support The Learning Board's four directoral dilemmas as vividly treated in Mr. Garrat's book. All these years we spoke of and endlessly developed and maintained management information systems. I reckon that we should now look at developing a Board information system using BI, data warehousing, management science techniques, external monitoring systems and so on. With the crisis of confidence in Corporate America brought about by the boards of Enron, WorldCom, etc I believe such system will help "clean up" the mess and bring back the past glory days of American corporations. Kudos to Mr. Garratt for an excellent book !!!

Is corporate governance in crisis? Look no further than the front page of your newspaper. You'll see a plethora of grubby stories concerning greedy CEOs, negligent boards, irate shareholders, downsized employees, cheated pension holders and ripped-off customers. Meanwhile, government regulators sharpen their claws and get ready to pounce. The public has become increasingly angry and cynical about corporate ethics, as the "perp walks" of pinstriped malefactors have become a nightly TV spectacle. Since it is directors who should ensure corporate accountability, transparency and probity - virtues sadly lacking in many boardrooms - directors are catching the heat. Bob Garratt insists that to clean things up, you must begin at the top. His insightful book details why boards have deteriorated and how they can improve. The title, a Chinese proverb, is an apt metaphor for the malodorous results of the governance mess. We recommend Garratt's informed exposé to corporate executives and board members who seek a thoughtful prescription for meaningful change.

Mr. Garratt does not pull his punches! Swinging from the start, Garratt lights the fire under the Director's seats causing screams that delight those who work for them. Enjoyable reading that motivates contemplation and further discussion at the corporate level.

While focused in Great Britain, Garratt sites examples from around the globe that make it easy to picture and apply. Used as a learning and teaching tool (this should be a textbook), "The Fish Rots from the Head" is a natural with a great deal of down-to-earth common sense. This should be required reading by directors in the board room, thoroughly discussed in staff meetings, and shared sincerely with all employees.

If directors of the world read, understood, and applied Bob Garratt's message, we wouldn't call it work!