Hank Boerner
Hank Boerner


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Endorsements:
All it takes is a brief interaction with Hank to know that he is a thought-leader, a doer, and an innovator. Hank and I had the pleasure of serving in leadership roles together on the Board of the Issue Management Council. Over several years I--as well as our membership--benefitted greatly from his thorough, forward-thinking presentations and prolific authorship on issue management methods and applied research. As a Board officer & President, he never failed to challenge our assumptions, see new opportunities, and champion the growth of the field. Hank stands out as a model in our professional community."
- Amy Stevens, Issue Management Council


Author – Commentator – Strategist – Consultant & Advisor - Researcher


Welcome to the Web site. In these pages you will find a range of news, commentary, views on issues, personal perspectives, and my opinions on topics and issues that may be of interest to you as a leader in the business/corporate, social and public sectors. As a strategist and independent advisor to leaders, author and editor, researcher, public speaker, management consultant, and business executive, I've been involved in many societal issues, critical events and crisis situations and events over the years of my career.

During the past three decades I have worked in virtually all industries and sectors, in different countries and regions, on many headline-making issues and crisis situations, on issues about to emerge into headlines, and for a wide variety of leaders (recall that financial services ad, "...I've had short bosses and tall bosses...?") I've had many fascinating "bosses," to whom I reported in the corporate world, in non-profits, and in government service, and as clients who engaged me to help with their critical situations and issues...and many times, to deal with the developing storm clouds.

You won't find any tattle-tales or "secrets" herein, because I believe that a trusted advisor  (what I have strived to be for 30+ years in Corporate America, on Wall Street, and in other lands ) should not "tell all" when the assignment is over to build one's own reputation at the expense of others. So no tattle-tales here -- my work is about helping leaders do the right thing...

In all of these fascinating activities that I have been fortunate to be involved in, I always found that my research and "writing it out" helped me to sort through facts and arrive at effective solutions/resolutions. So, there's quite a bit of original writing here (many items are published columns on corporate governance and accountability, and enterprise sustainability) with many hard-won lessons incorporated in the stories that this writing tells.

Most of the issues / topics / concerns that I write about are business-focused (but not all), and often, have as an underlying theme the relationship of business and society, and the accountability of business, non-profits and other institutions, and public government agencies to their stakeholders (and stockholders).

In these pages you'll find useful information on Corporate America, Wall Street, the financial community, activist and advocacy organizations, the not-for-profit or "social" sector (as Peter Drucker called it), and the public sector. These are all fields in which I spend my working days.

My worldview is shaped by decades of responding to crisis situations, tracking and managing critical issues, monitoring trends, monitoring critical and emerging issues, advising and counseling on - and writing on -- topics that can be categorized in a number of specific themes:

  • Corporate and Institutional Governance (private/corporate, public & social sectors)
  • Institutional Accountability (all sectors)
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • Corporate Sustainability
  • Sustainable and Responsible Investing (SRI)
  • Shareowner Activism - Shareholder Advocacy
  • Corporate Citizenship - the Dynamics of Business & Society
  • The Corporate Culture
  • Economics in our Times (critical trends in economy and demographics)
  • Ethics in Society and Organizations - Ethical Behavior
  • Disclosure and Transparency, including Financial Disclosure, and Corporate Reporting
  • Community Investment - Reinvestment Revitalization
  • Media Watching (especially changes in news media)
  • Communications Strategy for Leaders
  • Issues Management - Researching, Tracking, Monitoring, Advising on Critical Issues
  • Crisis Management - Crisis Response and Restoration, Crisis Preparedness, Emergency Response
  • Enterprise Risk Management - Business Continuity in the Post 9-11 World
  • And all of these are under the umbrella "Accountability" - collective and individual accountability for our decisions, behaviors and actions. The best leaders that I have been privileged to work with all were highly accountable for their actions and understood that leadership is a trust given over to them by others. They were effective stewards of enterprises and assets temporarily entrusted to them.

    My views and perspectives are presented here in various columns, speeches, monographs, news or feature articles, and other packages of content - there's a wide range of material going back a number of years here in the Web site.

    My positions represent no specific political, partisan or economic ideology; I am proud to say I am a believer in our capitalist democracy, a Modern Progressive, taking some of my inspiration from a very smart fellow Long Islander who helped to create the modern presidency: President Theodore Roosevelt of Oyster Bay. My early-career journalistic tendencies are still intact: I strive for objectivity and balance, and fairness in my treatment of subjects. It's sometimes hard but I try to keep an open mind on most topics and to see all sides of the issue.

    The disciplined approach of my trendwatching and issue analysis also helps to form the foundation of my counseling career; in addition to my research and writing I continue to be a strategist, advisor and consultant to major US corporations, multinationals, financial service organizations, not-for-profits, public sector agencies, and professional and trade associations. Some of these are pro bono engagements.

    Important note: The views presented in writing and commentary are mine alone and represent no positions or opinions of any past or present employer or client organization, or any publication where my columns or articles appear. (Don't you love it when government officials say that before speaking to groups as they begin their presentations?)

    Feedback is welcomed! I would like to hear from you - do email me your thoughts, comments, questions, ideas, suggestions for trends or issues I might "tune in to" that are of interest to you. Or that you are passionate about and want to share with others. Put me on your distribution list for newsletters or news releases or any form of email rant that you wish.

    You can email me at: hank@hankboerner.com. Happy Site Surfing!

    Oh, and if you quote from content on the site, please note the source, and especially credit the publications kind enough to provide with me space to share my thoughts (in columns and bylined pieces) regularly.

    Cheers!




    Hank Boerner
    Strategist - Consultant - Advisor - Author - Editor - Commentator - Communicator - Story Teller
    And one who always tries to help others to do the right thing for the right reasons!


    Copyright 2005 H.L. Boerner. All rights reserved.

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