Find common ground with your shareholders.

• Author: Kane, Karen

From Voices of Governance by Karen Kane. Copyright [c]2012 by the author. Published by Karen Kane Consulting (www.karenkaneconsulting.com).

IN THE FACE of the changes that are coming to corporate governance, boards would be well advised to begin their examination of the input they receive from shareholders and stakeholders by looking for common ground.

A synonym for input is contribution. Imagine if boards saw the comments and suggestions that they receive from shareholders as the way that shareholders want to contribute to the improvement and long-term strength of the company.

Trust fosters trust. If boards want to engender more trust among shareholders, they can start by trusting that their shareholders sincerely care about the issues they...