Yahoo Archives - The Grassy Road

Why activist shareholders travel in packs

Have you ever wondered why activist shareholders travel in packs? It's because they are significantly less effective alone—just like any other minority on a board. Activists (often hedge funds) accumulate a position in a stock because they want to make change happen at a company and, by making change happen, they will make money on their investment. It may be that they think the company is being mismanaged and so is undervalued against its potential. It may be that they think it should be broken up and the pieces sold [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-10T13:36:39-08:00June 5, 2012|Boards|0 Comments

Yahoo panel: There’s no such thing as work-life balance

Oh the irony of posting on this right after my post on the Iron Lady! She had no balance too.For a while now I have been outspoken that I think balance is a myth and we are unfair to young women coming up to spin the myth that they can have it all. They can't any more than men can. Business is just too competitive.So it was fun for me last week to be on a panel at Yahoo on Breakthrough Leadership Lessons and to be asked about work-life balance. [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-03T02:44:38-08:00January 24, 2012|Equality|0 Comments

How to fire a CEO

Let's face it, CEOs get fired all the time.CEOs with less than 5 years of experience are more likely than the long standing ones to be fired (as found in the University of Miami business school study) so it's going to happen all the time but there are ways to do it, and ways not to.Yahoo's firing of Carol Bartz is a great example of how not to. Don't fire a CEO over the phone, don't underestimate their balls, don't fire them without an agreed on communication plan.Carol is known [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-03T02:44:41-08:00September 22, 2011|Leadership|1 Comment

The rise in CEO turnover is a sign of the times- both good and bad

Posted on Huffington Post todayIn the first 9 months of 2008 the number of CEOs who left their jobs hit a record high according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc – 1,132 by October and when the 2008 full year tally is completed the total will be higher than ever before.What is going on behind these numbers is two forces of change, both of which should improve the caliber of leadership and cause boards to act.First the economic crisis makes CEOs more vulnerable. Their companies and markets are in crisis, [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T17:20:28-08:00January 17, 2009|Leadership|0 Comments