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PDA Blog - Thought Leadership Forum
Share Your Industry Expertise & Build Your Personal Brand

Welcome to the Private Directors Association Board Governance Insights Blog, and to a new stream of thoughts from PDA members.  As the Editor of the blog, I’m excited by the opportunity to curate articles that support the mission of PDA and allow its members to read insights that could help them better serve as Directors. 

Our purpose with the blog is to have the Reader consider the content, engage in a conversation, challenge convention when appropriate, and consequently, better deliver the essential Governance function.  Governance is a broad topic and as we publish materials, we will address concepts relevant to the PDA Committees and their members, as well as the PDA membership in general.

We are always looking for contributions from PDA thought leaders.  Content can be that of expressing the author’s experience or perspective.  We want the blog to be engaging, interesting, highly readable, and more importantly valuable to the readership.  Fundamentally, the article should be of benefit to the reader- and to the Association membership- and represent and support the Vision and Mission of PDA.

We thank you for reading the Governance Insights Blog, and for your support of this important initiative. If you have questions or suggestions, please reach out to Nigel Lakey, Governance Insights Blog Editor, and Shep Pryor, Resource Committee Chair.

Nigel Lakey

Editor

Guidelines for Contributors

The PDA Thought Leadership Forum is designed to provide our members with the insights and knowledge to help them become more effective board directors and leaders.  It also provides a venue for PDA members to demonstrate their expertise and build their personal brands.

PDA encourages all our members to share their unique experiences and knowledge with other members by submitting articles for consideration to be featured in our Thought Leadership Forum blog. 

Topics of Interest 

The PDA blog spans a wide range of topics including private company governance (family businesses, ESOPs, Private Equity owned companies, startups, etc.), cybersecurity, strategy, leadership, organizational change, diversity and inclusion, innovation, decision-making, marketing, and board member search and transitions.

Submissions should focus on private company interests for CEO/owners, Boards of Directors, and Advisors.  Our members benefit most from a clearly framed issue followed by actionable advice.  The below topics provide a direction for submissions. 

  • Board and Management Relationship
  • Strategy Formulation and Oversight
  • Director Search, Selection, and On-Boarding
  • Board Diversity
  • Board Expertise
  • Board Room Culture and Process
  • Ethics and Integrity - Personal and Corporate Reputation
  • Director Evaluations & Transitions
  • Chief Executive/Owner Succession Planning
  • Cybersecurity, Data and Privacy
  • Marketing and Corporate Development
  • Benefits vs Risks of Adoption of Artificial Intelligence and other Emerging Technologies
  • Crisis Management at the BoD
  • Shifting Sands of ESG
  • What we Expect in ERM
  • Existential and Systemic Risk- What if?
  • Looking Around the Corner: Emerging Threats
  • Public vs. Private: No Longer that Different
  • Functional Distinction Between Not-for-Profit and For-Profit Boards
  • Private Equity and ESOP Boards- Distinction With a Difference
  • Turnarounds are Unfair Play
  • Systems and Cyber-Ecosystems
  • Balance Sheet Realities
  • Evaluating Strategic Alternatives
  • Valuing and Protecting IP
  • Setting up for a Transaction
  • Changing Trains: On Track for a New Venture
  • Planning Business Cycles: Embedding Strategy
  • Regulatory Issues- Not Just for Public Companies
  • Compliance Issues and Risks
  • Expansion and Contraction- Shrinking to Grow

Submission Guidelines

Given the mission of PDA and member expectations it is essential that every article directly focuses on governance issues and offers insights accessible for Directors. Every submission must be of high-quality in terms of grammar, style, as well as factually accurate with, when necessary, appropriately cited sources. 

  • The article should be “original thinking” on a relevant/interesting topic, not a compendium of or opinion concerning information already published
  • The article should be created for and relevant to private company board members- existing or prospective- rather than more generally Private/Family CEOs/Owners, Boards/Board members
  • The article should cite relevant facts (with attribution to the original author, not someone that has republished the fact)
  • Attribution may be provided within the body of the article; however, all submissions must include the URL for verification purposes
  • ChatGPT or other Generative AI tools may be used for research purposes, but should not be considered as “original thought,” may not be accurate, and cannot be “copied and pasted”
  • Where generative AI is used in an article, it must be specifically identified as such, with the source noted, and make clear what prompts were employed
  • Ideally the article should be peer reviewed or edited by a peer (with attribution)

Perspectives 1500-2500 words.  The author’s title will clearly communicate the focus of the article.  The opening sentences should directly express the topic of the article and why it is relevant to board governance and is worthy of consideration.

Proceedings 500-1500 words.  Proceedings are short, clear, and concise summaries of relevant insights and points of interest shared from a conference, convention, speech, or other private venue.  There may be instances where members have the opportunity to share unique perspective that is timely and relates to a topic of high interest.

Book Reviews 500-600 words.  Book reviews will focus on new or forthcoming (and perhaps some old) books that align with one of the topics of interest. The author will make clear in the opening sentence why and in what ways the book is relevant to a Director and to private company governance.

Recommended Structure

Introduction: Provide background related to the issue and company (e.g., type of entity, private/ESOP, domicile, board structure, domestic/international, industry, size, regulatory environment, macroeconomic conditions, etc.).

Challenges: Outline issues that exist or may come to life in addressing the problems and in their resolution.  Identify the starting point based on reference to case studies, surveys, or other third-party governance research.

Conclusion: Include lessons learned and best practices, applicability to other company types and clarifying the relevance of the conclusion to PDA membership.

Content/Context: Articles may demonstrate the Author’s experience and knowledge in the subject matter but may not be presented as a thinly veiled pitch for the Author’s services, or in a manner that suggests the only path to resolution is a discussion or engagement with the Author.

Who May Submit: This blog is primary for and by members of PDA. The advisory council encourages each member to consider preparing at least one article for consideration.

There may be circumstances where PDA invites a non-member submission from an executive, non-member Director or researchers that are associated with a timely issue of high importance.  Co-authored articles are encouraged.

How to Submit Contributed Articles for Consideration

PDA recommends use of the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, as our style guide.  Contributors are asked to avoid the use of jargon and acronyms in order to ensure the publications are easily understood by every member, agnostic of industry or business sector.  Any graphics provided must be high-resolution, 300-dpi or greater, in jpg or png format, accompanied by a short caption, and with permission to use from the copyright holder unless they are in the public domain or are original creations by the Author. Links to articles in the PDA Body of Knowledge (BOK) may be added for context.  All submissions will be in US English. Submissions should be provided as an MS-Word document, Times New Roman, 12-pitch, double spaced.

All submissions must be accompanied by an executed Author Copyright License agreement. Editorial review will not begin until the License is received and accepted.

Submissions should include a brief Author bio, and a suitable head/shoulders photograph (as a jpg) of the Author.  A bio should be 100 words or less, include the Author’s background and credentials, but are not to be written as advertising the Author’s services or business. 

Submit Article Here

Approval Process

All submissions should be sent via email to [email protected].  The subject header will read “PDA Blog Submission.”  The body of the email will include the proposed article title and a statement on the article’s relevance to the PDA audience.  The article will be attached to the email as a MS-Word document, Times New Roman, 12-pitch, double spaced.

The Editorial Advisory Committee will acknowledge receipt of a submission via email within 48 hours.  Within one week a more detailed response to the submission will be sent to the member with one of three findings:

  • Accepted: The publication is accepted for inclusion in the BOK.
  • Provisionally Declined: The publication in its current form falls outside one or more of the published guidelines; however, the submitter is welcome to submit a revision for further consideration.
  • Declined: The publication specifically fails to meet one or more of the published guidelines and should be withdrawn or substantially revised before any resubmission.

Disclaimer.  PDA editorial advisory committee will reject any submission that takes a partisan political position, serves as advertisement for individuals or company, or instances where the author demonstrates a lack of expertise in the topic area.  The publication will not proceed if the editorial staff and author fail to agree on the final version.

Request for Engagement from Subject Matter Experts

At this time, we are also seeking the engagement and contribution from thought leaders and subject matter experts who can serve as co-authors, peer-reviewers or are able to assist in developing an editorial calendar and curating relevant content.