35 for 35: pearls of governance wisdom and years of service, that is.

• Author: Kristie, James
• Position: END NOTE - Editorial

To finish out not only this edition of the journal but also my 35 years as editor of DIRECTORS & BOARDS, I have selected 35 punchy observations about life in the boardroom that appeared in our pages during my time at the helm. (The position and affiliation of the authors are as of the time of publication of their article.) There is a lot of content in these one-liners. This kind of thought leadership is what kept me engaged in governance for my lengthy tenure here. I will miss bringing you, our loyal readers, this kind of keen thinking and sound advice, but trust that much additional wisdom like this is still to come your way in future issues of Directors & Boards.--James Kristie

We have a saying at Warburg Pincus: "We have never fired a bad CEO too soon."--John Vogelstein, vice chairman and president of E.M. Warburg, Pincus & Co. LLC, in "As I, an Owner-Director, See It" [Summer 1998]

If you look at any business that's consistently successful, you'll find that its leaders focus intensely and relentlessly on people selection.--Lawrence Bossidy, chairman of Honeywell International, in "The Job No Leader Should Delegate" [Spring 2002]

A CEO must work with directors as if they were an extension of the leadership team. They are.--Randy Thurman, director and former public company CEO, in "A Board Must Be Managed" [First Quarter 2014]

It's very obvious at board meetings who has and hasn't prepared. You must be prepared. Unprepared directors waste other people's time.--Sam Zell, investor, in "Directors: Be 'In the Room' "[Third Quarter 2014]

There has been a great attitudinal shift in boards away from what is right for the insiders to what is right for the shareholders.--John Brennan, chairman emeritus. Vanguard Group, in "Memo to the Board from Your Permanent Stockholders" [Annual Report cover story 2010]

"I've always loved the idea of a 'kitchen cabinet' and to me that is what a great board meeting should feel like."-Dennis Cagan, director and investor, in "How To Have a Great Board Meeting" [Fourth Quarter 2013]

Your only real protection as an outside director is the ethics of the other members of the board and the management. --Felix Rohatyn, investment banker and corporate director, in "Taking the Measure of Today's Boards" [Spring 2003]

Efforts to strengthen corporate governance must start by recognizing a fundamental, albeit circular, reality: Namely, a board will be as effective as top management, and specifically the CEO, wants it to be...