????而彭安杰則認為哈森維特是他的軍師——比如,，在決定是否接受美印商務委員會（U.S.-India Business Council）主席職務之前,，彭安杰曾向哈森維特征求意見。當然,，別誤會：彭安杰從沒指望哈森維特能到紐約帕切斯,，參與萬事達卡公司的日常運營。他只是向哈森維特征求一些全局性的建議,。彭安杰說：“包括理查德和董事會其他成員在內,，我擁有一個由10-11位達人組成的參謀部。他們拿著相對較低的報酬,，卻貢獻著自己的智慧,。”

????許多公司監(jiān)管人員和高管都認為,，其他公司應該以萬事達為榜樣,，將CEO和董事長這兩個職位分開。但調查顯示,，堅持將這兩個職位分開的公司,，其表現(xiàn)不見得一定優(yōu)于將CEO與董事長合二為一的公司。有事實為證：在過去一年中,，萬事達公司的股票上漲了48%,，而在Visa公司，董事長和CEO由約瑟夫?桑德斯一人承擔,，但公司股票上漲幅度也達到了45%,。耶魯管理學院（Yale School of Management）的杰弗里?索南菲爾德表示：“彭安杰和哈森維特配合默契，成就非凡,，應該向他們致敬。但這并不意味著萬事達的這種模式能放之四海皆準,。這只是治理復雜企業(yè)的諸多途徑之一,。”

????不論是非執(zhí)行董事長還是執(zhí)行董事長,，幫助公司最好的方法或許是培育一個獨立的,、充滿活力的董事會。如果董事會真正做到忠于職守、富有洞察力,，并具備全局觀和豐富的背景,，那么CEO就很難獨攬大權，或者剛愎自用,，拒絕聽取顧問的意見,。同時，一個強有力的董事會則可以防止非執(zhí)行董事成為CEO的傀儡,，哈森維特與彭安杰也一直在努力避免這種風險,。哈森維特說：“彭安杰和我之間的關系非常重要，但我們兩個與整個董事會之間的關系則更加重要,。沒有什么比私人智囊團更容易造成公司的分崩離析,。”

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????Banga in turn looks to Haythornthwaite for a range of insights -- soliciting his views, for example, before accepting a new role as chairman of the U.S.-India Business Council. But make no mistake: Banga doesn't expect Haythornthwaite to get into the day-to-day operations at MasterCard (MA), based in Purchase, N.Y. Instead he looks to him for big-picture advice. "In Rick and the rest of the board, I get a sounding board of 10 to 11 really bright people who get paid relatively little to offer me their wisdom," says Banga.

????Many corporate watchdogs and executives feel strongly that other companies should follow MasterCard's lead and split the CEO and chairman roles, but studies show that companies that insist on separate roles don't necessarily outperform those that embrace the CEO-chair model. To wit: MasterCard shares are up 48% in the past 12 months; shares of Visa (V), where Joseph Saunders serves as chairman and CEO, are up 45%. "Ajay and Rick work really well, and I salute them, but it's not a panacea," says Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of the Yale School of Management. "It's just one of many ways of governing a complex enterprise."

????Perhaps the best way a chairman, nonexecutive or otherwise, can help a company is by fostering an independent and lively board of directors. If the board is truly engaged, insightful, global, and diverse in background, it is hard for a CEO to grab too much power or reject the counsel of his or her advisers.

????And a strong board can prevent a nonexecutive chairman from falling under the sway of the CEO, a risk that Haythornthwaite and Banga take great pains to avoid. "The relationship between Ajay and me is vital. The relationship between the two of us and the whole board is even more vital," Haythornthwaite says. "And nothing is more divisive than something that appears to be a kitchen cabinet."