Talking to the board. By opening communication lines with board members, CEOs promote continuity and effective handling of key issues.

When asked how he has been able to effectively stay in one job for so long, the man who has been at the head of one of the nation's largest banking organizations for 16 years, Richard Cooley, chairman, Wells-Fargo Bank, said that he "learned very early that board relations was the most important key to his continuity." Cooley said his strategy over the years has been to meet for dinner about once a year with each member of this board to allow the board member to get to know him, to personally hear the issues that the board member considers most important, and to solicit input on proposed management plans.