As an example, last March, 68% of Swiss voters approved a measure giving shareholders the right to block executive and Board pay packages, outlawing “golden parachutes,” and increasing transparency regarding loans and retirement packages, according to the Wall Street Journal. This evening, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union Address, and it is widely reported that it will focus on the issue of income inequality. MORE

Golden parachutes can’t seem to stay out of the news. Golden parachutes like these are hardly novel in American business. Golden parachutes such are now paid out even when executives leave amid scandal. Firms began adopting golden parachute-style payout packages in the late 1970s. There was even more variation in the kinds of benefits provided by golden parachutes. MORE

Today's world of bailouts, golden parachutes, sky-high financial-sector salaries — while middle incomes stagnate — seems to be exactly the reverse. I grew up a global orphan, and I call London my home today. The simple reason I chose to live there was this: first and foremost, I'd never met a city that let a mutt like me be myself. And yet, over the last several years or so, gradually, almost imperceptibly at first, the tenor of my city has changed. MORE

In 2009 he called off the $7 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems in part due to Sun's egregious golden parachutes. In the 20th century, a select group of leaders — General Motor's Alfred Sloan, HP's David Packard and Bill Hewlett, and GE's Jack Welch — set the standard for the way corporations are run. In the 21st century only IBM's Sam Palmisano has done so. MORE

They are hedge fund tycoons; “private equity” barons; privateers who have bought the natural resources of entire countries whole; CEOs with golden parachutes the size of small planets. Is there such a thing as too rich? Like most reasonable people, I agree whole-heartedly that people who accomplish greater, worthier, nobler things should be rewarded more than those who don’t. I’m not the World’s Last Communist, shaking his fist atop Karl Marx’s grave at the very idea of riches. MORE

Such surveillance gives board compensation committees the backbone to create reasonable plans that provide valid incentives, while eliminating egregious lump sum payments like golden parachutes and handshakes. Tis the season when public companies publish their 10Ks, complete with the Compensation Disclosure and Analysis section revealing the pay of their five most highly paid officers, including the highest paid of all, the CEO. MORE

Leading people in risky environments is not a game with a reset button, a golden parachute, or a bailout clause. Success requires facing inherent risk, regardless of your profession. MORE

The directors needed Kozlowski to be convicted for a number of reasons, not the least of which was a half billion dollar golden parachute the company would owe Kozlowski if he was found not guilty. On January 17, Dennis Kozlowski will be released on parole by the State of New York after serving an 8 1/3 year sentence in the state’s tough prison system. Kozlowski is the former CEO of Tyco International. MORE

Presidential candidates once campaigned on taxes, government spending, and foreign policy. But more recently, executive compensation has suddenly become a hot topic for winning the public’s approval. In the U.S., MORE

And I want to see leaders of public corporations held accountable to their misdeeds (including the forfeiture of any golden parachutes should they or their companies be found guilty of obvious criminal or fraudulent behaviors perpetrated on their consumers). MORE

He was 62, a golden parachute strapped to his back, but no hobbies or interests beyond business. There are so many wonderful examples of former CEOs finding exhilarating second lives in their golden years. In the CEO Afterlife. Main menu Home. Leadership. Branding. MORE

Here is a paragraph describing a recent headline-dominating story about a fallen CEO and his (or her) golden parachute. “This is a motivational quote.”. This is a random sports figure’s name. The opening is a story about a childhood memory I’ve grossly exaggerated in order to tailor it to fit a post on leadership. Something about the high school football team I claim to have been on when really only went to one workout and then quit. MORE

Although the fall of Yahoo was probably inevitable, our fascination with celebrity leaders has resulted in an extraordinary amount of interest in Marissa Mayer’s recent resignation as CEO, in particular her $23 million golden parachute. Five years ago, her appointment was received with both surprise and hope (an unusual combination), though there was no shortage of critics who predicted her demise. MORE