Strategic Objective #1: Do not lose governance mojo

By Guest Blogger:

Andrew Chamberlain, Managing Director

One of my clients has recently lost its governance mojo, and what is ordinarily an enduring and industrious relationship between the Board and the Executive has faltered because of misunderstandings around the strategic plan.

The association is led by a confident and capable CEO: he’s professional, yet personable; has a considered strategic focus; and has a naturally positive and creative approach to business development. It is a successful international membership body with a global reach across 30+ countries. The CEO has a positive and constructive relationship with his Board, which operates as a high-performing team, with decision-making informed by trust-based dynamics, and performance which is centred around honesty-based governance. I enjoy working with them and am always motivated by their energy, commitment and enthusiasm for enhancing the performance, interests and influence of their association and its members.

As is the case for every professional association however, governance is not always a straightforward prospect for this client. Indeed, the CEO called me recently to discuss a problem with strategic planning: despite his Board’s ambitions and high levels of engagement, he was frustrated and confused by their evident reluctance to contribute to the development of the organisation’s new strategic plan. Moreover, he was worried that despite his best efforts, they would fail to approve this necessary plan and, worryingly, fail to agree the future direction of the association.

It seemed out of character for this Board, particularly as I’ve witnessed their cohesive and productive relationship with the CEO and the management team. I read the draft strategic plan, and whilst you can present strategy in a variety of ways, what was proposed was recognisable as a robust and ambitious but realistic plan and, if I were a director, I would have no qualms in approving its implementation. So why are they seemingly so dubious of the plan and wary of agreeing its objectives?

As we delved into the detail and reviewed the Board’s discussions surrounding their indecision, a common complaint was that Directors didn’t know what they were being asked to consider: was their input required on operational detail, or were they simply to approve top-level objectives? Were they being asked to identify specific performance measures or just to agree the proposed target metrics? Was their opinion sought on business development, or were they just rubber-stamping the senior management team’s vision for the next five years? Despite the CEO’s repeated representations, the Board was still unsure of his expectations.

These Directors are experienced professionals and have demonstrated strategic talent. They understand strategy, which they can easily differentiate from operations, and so their questions are a stark contrast to their generally positive style, which points to an obvious conclusion: The Board has not agreed its formal governance model. They understand and adhere to the principles of governing behaviour (responsive, efficient, transparent, accountable, participatory, etc); they have had formal induction and had their responsibilities as company directors explained; but whilst they were told to “be strategic”, within the context of the association’s governance structures, they have not agreed on what “be[ing] strategic” actually looks like, not least in relation to the role of the Chief Executive and the senior management team, but also in terms of the broader governing culture of the organisation. They cannot make decisions because they don’t know the parameters of the strategic decision-making process.

Research shows that adopting and adhering to a clear basis for how a Board operates (a model of governance) leads to improved practice. There are several models available and it is important that Boards adopt a model that is relevant to them, enhances the values of the association, clarifies expectations of the Board, and explains operating protocol, such as what it means to “be strategic”. Using one of the models, or developing a hybrid of the models and implementing a bespoke approach, will help an organisation to be governed well, and ensure there is less confusion between the role of the Board and that of the Executive.

I will advise my client accordingly and we will work together to define the association’s governing model. There’s no need to dwell on previous shortcomings, and rather than be downhearted by any flaws in the governance structure, I’ll suggest we embrace the exercise as an opportunity to recapture our governance mojo and to enhance the Board and the association’s performance. I’ve no doubt doing so will prove beneficial, not only as a means of agreeing the strategic plan, but more fundamentally as a way of ensuring the association’s approach to governance promotes attitudes and a culture where everything and everyone works toward fulfilling the association’s vision, mission and values.

Andrew Chamberlain is Managing Director of Consort Strategy , a consultancy firm specializing in leadership development, organisation improvement and business growth.