Posted: January 24, 2011 by Vince
Welcome to my blog. My purpose in this entry is to share some of my thoughts, ideas and comments on what is happening in the world of board governance. Occasionally I may use it to rant about some of the more outrageous things I see boards doing, but mostly it will be to share what I hope will prove to be useful information about board development and governance.
So just to get the ball rolling, my first comments are about how I continue to be amazed at how many board directors are ill prepared to be able to function effectively in their role as directors.
It isn’t that they aren’t open and willing to learn about how the board governs and about their role as directors. It is mostly that boards as a whole tend to think it isn’t important. What seems to exist is a laissez-faire culture regarding governing.
When I ask about why more time is not being given to a comprehensive ‘new director’ orientation I am told either that they can’t ask directors to commit the block of time required or that they have other more important and pressing business to attend to.
That is like a building contractor saying he can’t take the time to build a good foundation for a building as he has to get on with getting the walls up and the roof on.
In both cases a weak foundation will create problems as they try to build something that is solid and durable.
It takes time for new directors to figure out the rules and make a valuable contribution to discussions if they haven’t been given a good orientation. This is a significant waste of everyone’s time and talent as new directors should be able to contribute to discussions in their first board meeting.
The solution lies in developing a culture of board excellence. The board needs to spend some time discussing what ‘board excellence’ means to them and in setting goals and practices that will help them achieve excellence.
Future entries will explore this concept of ‘board excellence’. Your comments, thoughts, suggestions and queries are welcome.
Vince