Leadership is about motivating and inspiring people to take positive action, whether those individuals are your direct reports, employees or board members.
It's not uncommon for a CEO to experience problems with a board member, especially in cases where that board member is a predecessor CEO.
And while the solution may be to ask the board chair to assist, it's going to be up to you to deal with the issue if the chair is unsympathetic or adverse to conflict.
Stepping into the shoes of a former leader can help develop empathy for his or her circumstances. It can be difficult to make the transition to a board member when one is unlikely to realize the same sense of significance and challenge enjoyed in an earlier position.
Any former leader is also likely to continue to feel a high need to make a contribution, which can lead to over-zealousness around the board room table.
To manage this situation, a CEO should ask advice from such a board member and take a proactive approach.
For example, consider arranging a monthly meeting, asking for input and contributions and perhaps even allowing some influence on decisions.
Ask the board member to help set up appropriate boundaries for your roles and a process for decision-making through the transition period.
Finally, encourage your management team to value and honour a former CEO's on-going contribution while at the same time respecting the boundaries that had been developed. More...
Boards that Deliver by Ram Charan. Finally, a book that brings the vision of truly good governance down to earth. Charan, expert in corporate governance and best-selling author, packs this book with useful tools and techniques to take boards and their companies to a higher level of performance. Charan puts his finger on a growing problem for boards: the disconnect between directors' efforts and their results. The added time and attention boards invest is not translating into better governance -- that is, governance that adds value to the business..
