For many organizations, spring is annual general meeting season, a time to report results to stakeholders and preview the coming year. It’s also a time when directors often name their new board chair.
When I stepped into my first board chair role, I felt like the dog that caught the car. Now what? After selling myself into the role, I had to actually do the job. What should I tackle first? How should I deal with ambiguity when there’s not a clear right answer? I faced a number of judgment calls and I couldn’t please everyone.
Fortunately, I’ve come to recognize unease as a sign that I’m on the right path. In The War of Art, Stephen Pressfield suggests that “The more important an activity is, the more resistance you will feel to it – the more fear you will feel.” Based on how I feel these days, I must be on the brink of a breakthrough.
I’m guessing that you know this feeling. Perhaps you are stepping into a leadership role in your organization. If you aspire to be a board chair, either today or in the future, consider five lessons that I’ve learned in the role.
You are never ready
If you wait until you feel ready to chair, you will never step into the role. Seek the opportunity as soon as your peers recognize the necessary leadership traits and behaviours in you. Nothing extraordinary ever happens in your comfort zone.
You are the chair, but you aren’t in charge
As chair, I attempt to facilitate constructive dialogue more than I contribute my own point of view. Great chairs act as servants to their boards, clearing a path to top performance.
The role will test previously good relationships
Becoming chair may change the tone of your relationship with the CEO. Even if you enjoyed a good rapport in the past, your new role introduces potential strain. You’ll deliver tough messages on behalf of the board, including the CEO performance assessment. Your fellow directors may also treat you differently, even those who were your biggest supporters in the past.
You will appreciate every chair in your past
Serving as chair can feel like a thankless job. Go back and acknowledge those who came before you.
The board chair role is the ultimate stretch assignment
The chair develops an enterprise-wide view of human resources, financial performance, strategy, and risk. No area of the organization is out of bounds or off your radar screen. The job is bigger than you probably think it is and you will need help.
Seeking and coordinating this support is in itself a skill. I didn’t do a great job of this at first, largely because I tried giving others the impression that I had everything under control. Before long, I sought colleagues’ observations and advice. And I leaned on others to step in for me as needed. Asking for help is a necessity, one that preserves your sanity and prepares the next leader for the job.
After a few years in my first chair role, I wanted out. The burden of carrying the board’s agenda was tiring and I was relieved to pass the torch. Less than six months after doing so, however, I’m feeling drawn to the role again with another board. As much as serving as chair is an incredible amount of work, I can think of better opportunities to learn and make a positive difference to the trajectory of an organization.
Question: What advice do you have for new board chairs?
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