A company’s success or failure depends much on the performance of its board – an ancient Chinese saying is that ‘the fish rots from the head’. Yet the vast majority of directors admit they have had no training for their role and are not sure what it entails.

As boards’ activities are made increasingly transparent under national and international law – particularly following the recent corporate scandals – there is an urgent need for directors’ competencies to be developed.

In this book – now fully revised and updated – Bob Garratt clarifies and integrates the roles and tasks of the director. He argues that directors must develop a broader mindset to deal with the uncertainty of higher-level issues such as policy formulation, strategy, supervision of management, and accountability. In doing so, Garratt provides a programme of learning for all directors.