Chairs and CEOs working together

Top tips for chairs and CEOs on working together

Set boundaries

The relationship between CEOs and chairs, and the wider board, is a question of balance. You need to set clear boundaries from the start, based on honest and frank conversations, so your and their expectations are clear about how you will work together.

Discuss and agree, for example, your key roles on strategy development, how you will prepare for board meetings together, the extent of your involvement as chair when developing board papers, and how communication with staff will work. And don’t forget to talk about how fixed or flexible those boundaries are. They may change as the organisation or your circumstances change.

Communication

Think about how you can stay in touch and ensure open communication. What works for both of you? What are the implications for both your time commitments? You might want to consider times for regular check-ins and also opportunities for more informal catch ups.

Challenge and support

The chair – CEO relationship is a balance between challenge and support. You need to have both elements for the relationship to be effective, but some chairs shy away from challenge, finding it uncomfortable. Others may veer towards the challenge element of the relationship and forget that they are also there to support and encourage.

It can help to adopt a coaching approach, asking open questions about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the issue being addressed, and encouraging the CEO to think more broadly, explore options, and use their skills and knowledge to find solutions.

When things go wrong

We know that unfortunately the chair – CEO relationship doesn’t always go smoothly, and it can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for both of you. Problems are unlikely to resolve themselves and it doesn’t help to ignore the issues. Look first at what you can do to repair the relationship. That might involve a frank conversation, some mediation, or some external support.

Key questions to ask include:

• Is there a genuine misunderstanding or a miscommunication between you?
• What is driving the disagreement and can those factors be mitigated by your actions?
• Would your CEO benefit from extra help, support, and/ or training?
• Is the CEO responsible for the current issues or does the responsibility go wider?

We know that when your relationship with your CEO breaks down or runs into difficulty, it can be very stressful. We offer a supportive community of chairs and trustees to guide you through difficult times. If you would like to find out more about membership so you can access all the support we offer to chairs, find out more about joining our community.