In response to the backlash surrounding RBC this week, and in particular, against RBC CEO Gordon Nixon, let's look at how CEOs are compensated. Last year, RBC posted record earnings of $7.5 Billion and CEO Nixon received a pay hike of $2.5 million with millions in stock and option-based awards, incentives, and bonuses -- for meeting or exceeding expectations set out by the board of directors. I thought that was pretty shocking until I read about other CEOs. What makes these people so valuable and worth so much to a company? Someone tell me please. The bottom line is that this type of financial abuse affects everyone.

Executive pay practices are in the news on a regular basis. Just in the past few weeks, after meeting with investors, the performance metrics for Citi...

I recently trained a group of directors and CEOs from the banking and agricultural sectors in Texas and Arizona. We discussed mutual expectations on the part of the board and management. The following represents the output of these discussions, which could apply to a variety of boards.

Trust at the board level is necessary at three intersection points: board and CEO, board member to board member, and CEO to C-suite. Why does trust matter? Think about the transactional costs of a low-trust relationship. In low trust relationships, suspicion abounds and parties feel compelled to paper every decision and every discussion. What can boards and executives do about this? Here is some advice.

Think of it as walking into a neighbourhood leveled by a tornado. That pretty much sums up what a special type of CEO faces -- one who's been brought on after the termination or resignation of a scandal-ridden predecessor. A CEO version 2.0 has a lot to contend with in that kind of wake. Here are some tips...

CEOs need to realize that highly desirable employee behaviour can become distorted and even destructive in a company driven by leaders with ulterior motives. Here are seven sure-fire signs that you might be working for a company on the brink of catastrophe.

Market research shows that RIM is the no. 3 or no. 4 smartphone company in both the U.S. and abroad, and that its piece of those markets has continued...