Dear new CEO
Congratulations on your appointment as our new chief executive. Thank you for taking us on. I look forward to working with you.
The board has rather cheekily asked me to set out how to be the perfect CEO. I don’t think there is such a thing, any more than there is a perfect chair; but I think we can get close to a perfect partnership. It’s a question of balance, and both of us must play our part.
There is much I and the board should promise you, but for now, here are a few things we ask of you…
Accept constructive challenge: this is essential to good governance. You told me your last board was quite laid-back. I was not sure if you meant it as a compliment or a criticism. You may find it different with us: we have a lively, engaged board and you will get lively, engaged and sometimes demanding questions. Don’t take it personally.
Don’t feel you have to run the whole show yourself: you’re leading a team and you should not try to shield your senior colleagues from the board. Give them exposure to us as this will build wider trust in your executive.
Please let’s have no surprises: we need to build our working partnership and trust in each other. At the heart of that is being open with each other, so don’t bury bad news; give me early warnings of issues and worrying trends, especially in the financials. Trust me to handle the information sensibly and work with you on solutions.
Be realistic about boundaries: you may say “trust me to get on with the job”, and I will. But let’s recognise that there are no hard boundaries between the strategic oversight of the board and the operational role of your executive. Sometimes we may need to get involved in operational issues, but equally you should have shared responsibility for the strategy.
Let’s do things together: the basis of building a great partnership will be to do things in tandem, from developing our long-term strategy to devising the board agendas.
Tolerate our board foibles: we acknowledge that board meetings can be the low point of a CEO’s month. We can occasionally be unpredictable, inconsistent, discursive and forget to say thank you – in spite of my efforts in the chair. Please chill and again, don’t take it personally; we are always trying to do our best for the organisation and our passions can run away with us.
Use the board’s skills: I have assembled a good board brimming with experience and expertise – I know we can seem busy, but we want to be asked to support your team and use our skills beyond trustee meetings.
Allow the board “me time”: I have not met a CEO yet who was entirely happy with boards having time alone. Don’t be paranoid. The time is helpful to allow trustees to get things off their chests and possibly surface underlying issues. It’s a good safety valve. And in the spirit of “no surprises”, I will always share with you the themes that emerge from these discussions.
Appreciate the role I play: yes, I will strive always to be there for you, reliably responsive and supportive. But I am also, on behalf of the board, your line manager. I will meet with you regularly, but also conduct a formal annual appraisal. I want you to grow in the role.
Manage upwards: I want to grow too, and be a better chair at the end of my term than when I started. Do challenge me; do point out issues I have missed, especially around the board. You are invaluable eyes and ears for me.
That’s become a longer list than I planned. Now in the spirit of our new partnership, do send me the equivalent: how can I be your perfect chair?
Yours sincerely
Chair of the board
John Williams is vice chair of the Association of Chairs @ChiswickJohn
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