As rare as finding a marble-sized pearl in an ordinary looking oyster, a new book offers career-saving advice that demands only the discipline of willpower and a dollop of introspection.

I heartily favor demystifying boards. Long overdue is the need to let sunshine into the Star Chamber-like proceedings.

Time and again we witness the de-canonization of iconic CEOs for hubristic behavior as much as for financial recklessness. Yet the issue is never examined at the board level before an ultimate decision has to be made and the CEO departs.