Even the most successful companies have problems that management would rather keep to themselves.
We work with management teams and boards to develop their ability to have honest conversations about troubling issues, early on.
We work with management teams and boards to develop their ability to have honest conversations about troubling issues, early on.
Leading an organisation is hard work and it's lonely.
A good board will win the confidence of its management and will be seen as a safe forum for discussing emerging ideas, projects, successes and most importantly - failures.
Less skilful boards can be seen by management as yet another problem to be overcome. Dealing with the board turns into its own business objective involving the presentation of the positives and the suppression of negatives.
Unskilful management, for their part, irritate their boards by wasting time with poorly reasoned papers and opaque presentation of data. They obsess about how to keep NEDs onside and the Chair at arm's length so that they don't get in the way.
Result:
The board doesn't hear about problems early enough to be able to help and the cost is borne by the business, its shareholders and the reputations of all those involved.
However, when management and board can talk openly problems can be aired before they've become toxic and solutions thought through by a collection of minds, from variety of perspectives.
Quality, early conversations between the two teams enable growth as mistakes are learned from and risks and opportunities are correctly assessed, at the right time, and pursued with conviction.