Chapter 5 - Working with the board: How to establish productive relationships and clear boundaries

The New CEO Workbook
A Practical Guide for CEOs to Start Well and Perform Quickly
Created by Ty Wiggins

 

A unique aspect of being a CEO is working with (and for) a board of directors. If this is your first CEO role, you will be in new territory. Many first-time CEOs find they have greatly underestimated the time it takes to manage board interactions and demands. They discover that being in board meetings is often taxing, and navigating different roles and personalities a challenge.

One common regret shared by new CEOs is that they wished they had better used the board in their first couple of years.

When done right, effective board management can help you:

  • View your board as a strategic asset rather than a necessary evil
  • Be clear on role boundaries between you and the board from day one
  • Extract valuable insights from your directors' diverse expertise
  • Build a productive partnership that enhances your decision-making

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How The New CEO Workbook can help you

As leadership advisors, we've witnessed first-time CEOs regret not engaging more effectively with the board early on. In Chapter 5: Working with the board, we provide a framework to help you build productive board relationships that enhance rather than hinder your leadership.

The exercises, reflections, and guidance in this workbook help you develop approaches for meaningful board engagement, clear boundary-setting, and strategic partnership development from the start of your tenure.

Key questions to address when working with your board:

  • How might you shift from managing risk to creating opportunities for strategic input?
  • What specific value can each board member bring beyond formal governance?
  • How might you address situations where lines between the board and CEO become blurred?
  • What early opportunities exist to establish boundaries respectfully?
  • How will you prepare for your first board meetings to set the right tone?
     

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  Ty Wiggins

About the Author

Ty Wiggins, PhD is a leadership expert passionate about setting up new CEOs for success. As the global lead for Russell Reynolds Associates' CEO & Transitions Practice, he helps world-leading CEOs successfully transition into their roles to unlock business (and personal) success—faster.

Ty is one of only a handful of people globally with a Ph.D. in leadership transitions. He harnesses his deep academic and consulting background to provide CEOs, boards, and senior leadership with the advice, support, and insight needed to start well and perform quickly.

 

 

 

Get advice on your transition

Your relationship with your board can make or break your CEO tenure. Without their support, you won't have a long run at the top. Yet many CEOs struggle to establish clear boundaries while building productive partnerships. Connect with one of our trusted advisors to develop strategies for board engagement that extracts maximum value while maintaining your authority to lead.

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Also Available: Order your copy of The New CEO

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Based on original research and candid conversations with CEOs from Verizon, PepsiCo, Campbell's, UPS, Whirlpool, and more, The New CEO: Lessons from CEOs on How to Start Well and Perform Quickly (Minus the Common Mistakes) examines how world-leading CEOs approach their first year in the role.

Discover their successes, their missteps, and the important lessons they learned along the way.

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The New CEO Workbook:
A practical guide for CEOs to start well and perform quickly

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