Tips (#1 -#5)

Tip #1: Talents, when identified, are the catalyst for motivation. All individuals are imbued with unique talents that can be leveraged to the benefit of the organisation. Any trait that adds value and advantage to the organisation and its products/services must be considered. An analogy could be a particular restaurant that stands out due to the quality of its food and/or service.

Tip #2: Board members may shy away from contributing out of the fear of delivering poor or irrelevant output. The culture and behaviour of the board must emphasize openness, such as taking members out for a meal to establish a relaxed approach. If changes need to be made, then they must be advocated and the benefits will be realized. As well, internal and external communications levels need to be in synch.

Tip #3: At times, lead directors are more interested in pushing their own agenda or ensuring everyone agrees with them. Even though they may be highly effective at their job or be in a position of ownership, this egotistical tendency will not help the overall organisation. Diversity in viewpoints and solutions are needed to promote the progression and improvement of executive-level activities. The entire board has to participate to achieve this, in allowing for a healthy debate over agenda items, making every effort to reach consensus and observe the one-voice principle.

Tip #4: Policies, when concise, clear and value-driven will sharpen the edge needed to tackle a host of issues. Information overload is not needed, where precise and powerful verbiage helps the whole process in terms of understanding and execution. Using meeting minutes as an example, a follow-up mechanism must be in place to deal with any issues effectively and in a timely manner.

Tip #5: Selecting a successor to the CEO is a difficult matter for any organisation and is an issue often ignored and left unexplored. Assess the background, experience, skills, perspective, personality, strengths, and sway the potential candidates have. Someone who can think outside the box is desirable, while being someone who can ensure staff is comfortable with change and ensures systems are fully functional. As well, a candidate who can equally analyse the internal and external aspects, while animating the existing processes.