It was a privilege to speak at the recent nationalconference of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and GovernanceProfessionals, a non-profit organization of corporate secretariesand business executives involved in governance, ethics andcompliance at public, private and not-for-profit organizations.

The presentation “Pursuing and Recruiting Directors—How Best toDo So?” gave attendees insights into this critical subject. BeverlyL. O'Toole, general counsel of corporate governance at GoldmanSachs Group, and I prepared a follow-up video for the society'swebsite. I would like to share some of its highlights with you andyou can also view it at www.stuartlevine.com.

Fundamentally, a board's responsibility is to validate strategyand be responsible for CEO ­succession and performance. The boardassures that compensation plans reflect accountability toshareholders for the overall performance of the corporation.