Why Corporations Need Directors

It's a simple answer, really. Unless you're independently wealthy and/or have *zero* out of game life, it's not possible to be online running the corporation all the time. For any corporation that is planning to grow beyond the initial few pilots that founded it, a strong group of leaders is absolutely critical.

Directors perform the following critical roles:

• They're online when you're not
  
• They can recruit new talent
• They act as a reality check for your more insane ideas
• They provide ideas for how to run the corp
• They've got the rights to keep things moving when you're not around:
• Vacations
• Work day
• Sleep
• Other (yeah, I know, this is a heresy) hobbies
• Family
• Natural disasters (my community got hit with a tornado, was out of power for a few days)
• They provide motivation when you're burnt or lacking motivation yourself
• They expand your network of in-game contacts, especially older players (note: players, not characters. With account trading on the rise, we're seeing more high-sp characters with new player owners - not so valuable.)

There's a darker side to having directors, of course. At least, there's a potential for some serious down side, but not markedly more than the tales of dishonest CEOs or other long-term corporation members. The downside is that directors, because they have access to everything in the corporation, can shut a corporation down if they turn rogue.

My answer? Recruit very carefully, and don't forget that EvE can be a harsh instructor. As recent events (as of this writing) have shown, even long-term in-game friends can turn out to be untrustworthy.