When the founder of World Energy Solutions Inc. assembled his first board in 2000, it consisted of nine investors and friends. The group met quarterly, generally affirming Domaleski's every action. But the Worcester, Mass., company, which auctions electricity and gas credits, lacked customers and financing. It needed more from its board to survive.

The role of president, as George W. Bush commented in 2000, requires vision, management, and an eye for talent - not so different from that of CEO. But during the first years of Carter's presidency, his Cabinet was anything but businesslike, beset by infighting and meetings that ambled.

One of the first acts during the second coming of Steve Jobs as CEO in 1997 was a major board overhaul.

Tahl Raz Quotes