Deere's International Board

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I often choose that myself because it's so tasty.

How have these directors contributed?

They've enriched our thinking. They are interested in the global issues that we face. As we sit there at a board meeting, we ask ourselves, how do we take advantage of the great opportunities in Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and the Ukraine, people from all these countries who are on our board are interested in that.

Do the international directors tend to lend expertise about their particular geographies—like relations with a government—or do they offer something broader?

All of them consider themselves to be global businesspeople. They see the world through a different lens, but they see the same world. Take the chairman of BMW. He deals with the same pollution-control issues that we do. He deals with the same branding and distribution issues in multiple countries as we do. Sometimes if you turn your lens just slightly, you get a different perspective. The ultimate objective is to get the right questions asked. What we're anxious to obtain is the board's help in exercising judgment and considering all the aspects of business in a very disciplined and comprehensive way.

In the U.S., we've brought in Aulana Peters, who used to be a commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission. She sees the world through a different lens, but that's very useful. And we've added Gen. Richard Myers, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, who has a very global perspective. He was responsible for an extensive organization worldwide and sees the world through yet another lens.

Do you use some of your directors to open doors with governments?

Not at all. They are there to help us consider and make the right judgments and give management oversight and appropriate advice so that we make the right decisions to build a great sustainable business that will take us into the future. We're approaching our 200th birthday. We don't want short-term-itis. We aim to deliver financial results in every quarter, but the long term is made up of lots of short-term bets.

What specifically have you learned from a non-American director?

I'm not going to be able to disclose specifics in that regard, but very definitely I would be able to list insights from each of them. They often have more knowledge about issues related to their own geographies, but they also know a lot about other parts of the world.

If about half of your agricultural sales are outside the U.S. now, where do you see that number going?

We continue to see a lot of opportunities outside the United States, in particular in Brazil these days, and Argentina, because of their role in feeding the growing appetites of the world. There are enormous growth opportunities in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. That's not to take away from the countries of Eastern Europe or Asia by any means.

Will the percentage of sales outside the U.S. hit 60% or 70%?

We don't predict a certain percentage. But our business in Brazil, Russia, India, and China—the so-called BRIC countries—doubled in 2007, compared to 2006.

Is one of the keys to creating a more international board having a CEO who has international experience? If you hadn't spoken German, you might not have persuaded Millberg to join.

It may not be essential but it's helpful. Before I came to Deere 26 years ago, I was a banker and lived in Europe, and I also have had the chance to live in Europe for Deere. I've been responsible for all parts of the world at various times in my career.

Does that experience help you create the right culture on your board and assist in "onboarding" of non-Americans?

For Joachim Millberg, we gave him some important tours of our operations in Germany. As we do with all our directors—we just brought Charles Holliday of DuPont onto our board—we take them out to our operations, without me, by the way. They have an extensive orientation program that takes them out to all our divisions. And traveling together as a board to places like India and Brazil, that's a huge deal.

In addition to writing Armchair MBA for BusinessWeek.com, William J. Holstein writes for The New York Times, Fortune, Corporate Board Member, Dealmaker, and Strategy + Business.