The post pandemic board - a new collaborative endeavour PR File - Flipbook - Page 16
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The post pandemic board: a new collaborative endeavour
When I was first on boards they were much
more functional. Now they are required to be,
and to want to be, creative and they need a
chair who has the ability and willingness to
support that creativity. Boards have now moved
on to create, co-create and even have fun
together to solve the multiple and multifaceted
challenges presented to them and not be
daunted in the face of unrelenting uncertainty.
What chairs shared about
their own experiences
“The public diagnosis of issues has changed.”
All chairs in 2022 have to work in the context of
heightened public mood, often reflected in highly
charged media coverage, and therefore with the
heightened personal exposure that goes with being
the symbolic head of an organisation in that climate.
Their advice is to start distributing exposure, not just
accountability, throughout the non-executive team
so that the burden can be shared.
This participant gave us their tips based on their
preparation for a chair role very much under the
public and regulatory spotlight: “First, do your own
due diligence. Neither what the Annual Reports tell
you, nor what the CEO tells you, will give you an
unvarnished portrait of the business. There will be
problems buried beneath the stones, so make sure
you turn the right ones over. Second, get to know the
existing board one by one and quickly. Cherish the
ones who ask you the right questions, not the ones
you just happen to like. If you need to make changes,
do it soon and go for people who make you think, not
people who think like you.”
“The new muscular board...” is chaired for strength
and resilience and is open to challenge and ideas.
Its strength comes through its ability to marry its
internal governance responsibilities with a changing
external context. Breadth, versatility and connection
with core audiences as opposed to professional
knowledge or senior experience alone is critical.
Board strength also lies in a collective
understanding of the issues and in an unerring
commitment to the organisation’s purpose: “I wish
I’d known how fragile a Board’s leadership and
cohesion can be on its organisation’s vision and
commitment to its mission.”