Corporate boards are increasingly dealing with political pressures ranging from regulation to enforcement. CEOs are called out, threatened, and publicly shamed over decisions attributed to management and shareholders. This could include selective regulatory hurdles, forced ownership and revenue relinquishment, calls for consumer boycotts, compensation and staffing statutes, and such interventions. All too often, boards respond in a conciliatory manner, making concessions in hopes of calming the situation.
my new book, President Trump's Ten Commandmentswhich helps explain why that instinct fails against the set of measures he consistently uses. Regardless of how anyone evaluates President Trump's unconventional leadership strategy, it reflects and extends a past of blurring of private business and government behavior. This book does not endorse President Trump's actions, but it does reveal how he gained power, maintained it, and overcame significant opposition. From that understanding, we can draw five practical lessons for board members and companies dealing with political pressure:
1. Don't give up what you don't own. President Trump's hub-and-spoke leadership model reveals a core truth: authority that spreads is authority that can be grasped. Boards need to be clear about what is theirs and what is not. Ownership decisions, asset transfers, and strategic shifts are shareholder issues, not bargaining chips to defuse political pressure.
Cases such as Intel and U.S. Steel illustrate the dangers of relinquishing control, which boards typically do not have the right to unilaterally transfer. When a board yields ground like that, it puts pressure on future attackers and teaches them to go down a slippery slope.
2. Avoid pushy public confrontations. Mr. Trump's default opening position is to often begin negotiations aggressively, but when he is boxed in publicly, he reacts badly. Boards often make the opposite mistake, issuing public reprimands and denying regulators and politicians an outlet.
Public confrontation in response to Trump's instinctively aggressive tactics actually undermines the goal and escalates the conflict. The strategic committee maintains a private channel, allowing for a graceful exit without public humiliation. The goal is not to surrender, but to de-escalate tensions without capitulating.
3. Unity is non-negotiable. Nothing invites outside control faster than a visibly fragmented board. President Trump has adopted a divide-and-conquer strategy that relentlessly exploits rifts. The collapse of Harley-Davidson's board during CEO Matt Levatich's tenure remains an alarming example. Pressure intensified when internal disagreements surfaced.
The board must debate vigorously in private, but it must demonstrate unanimity in public. Unity denies leverage. Fragmentation invites attacks.
4. Accept group activities with peers. President Trump's sound wall approach, a rapid succession of headline-grabbing statements and actions, is aimed at picking off isolated targets one at a time and subduing them. The antidote is collective action. As we have seen unfold time and time again, the collective response of law firms, universities, and corporations has dramatically reduced an individual's exposure to a single firm.
Boards should encourage CEOs to work through industry coalitions and peer networks. Collective action reframes conflict as systemic rather than personal, reducing the risk of retaliation. Repetition is key: When many institutions consistently articulate the same principles, resistance is justified.
5. Grandeur has its benefits. Trump understands symbolism, imagery and heroic aura. Boards often overestimate the need for ceremonial tributes, symbolic concessions that undermine the dignity of the organization.
IBM's history provides a counterargument to this. Since its founding, IBM has focused on merit, capability and organizational continuity. Even the most vain or bossy leader can respond to a disciplined and substantive discussion. The board doesn't need more power. They must improve cases through real and substantive engagement, not empty platitudes.
Final thoughts for directors
Trump's Ten Commandments describe how power acts when norms erode and pressures intensify during times of unprecedented change. Boards that are aware of these dynamics are in a better position to protect the CEO, not by provoking conflict or placating bullies, but by maintaining authority, cohesion, legitimacy, and strategic initiative. that is the eternal lesson President Trump's Ten Commandments— and why it matters far beyond Trump himself.
