Throughout her career Jo Haigh has acted as Non-Exec Director and Chairman for over 40 companies, in this blog she shares her three top tips on how to build a world-class board.
There are three critical things to consider when building your board.
First of all, who are the people around the table? It’s not just the quality of the people but the number. Seven is a great number, it’s an odd number for a start so you won’t get deadlock. What you don’t want is a bunch of pale male stales, sorry guys, but unfortunately, that is what makes up the most of the boards out there. You want an eclectic mix of gender, ethnicity and age.
Next, ensure the appropriate processes in place so board meetings aren’t about where the Christmas party is going to be or parking space disputes, which unfortunately I have heard too many times, but rather about what decisions need to be made and how they are going to impact on the strategy – and what the strategy goals actually are.
One final important point… you need a good quality chair. Someone who won’t take any nonsense but that is also a good listener and will help to facilitate the making of those all-important decision. They’re the glue that hold the board together and makes sure that actions are delivered by holding people accountable.
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