Are you a pretender?
Are you one of the board members pretending to look engaged and interested? How curious are you in the board packet and in understanding how your organization is confidently and consistently serving your community? What are you doing to add value while mitigating risk?
It is a shame that 67% of board members are Pretenders. This phenomenon of looking busy during the board meeting is called social loafing. Individuals tend to put forth less effort in a group than if they were working alone. Group meetings with six people have individuals contribute with a 40% effort, and most boards have at least seven members. Heavy social loafing is a challenge for the CEO.
How satisfied would you be if your CEO performed at 40% effort? What would be different if each board member arrived ready to contribute at 100%, asked one or two strategic oriented questions, and lead or proactively added value to rigorous dialogue? Such an exuberant board meeting requires a:
- forward focused agenda
- board packet aligned with a strategic board mindset
- skill at asking the right questions (not the micro questions!)
- competence in framing the challenge, issue, or opportunity
- new practices moving from tactical to framing
- a commitment to be a high-performing board be each board member
Every organization needs a high performing board and it as a right of each account holder. A collateral advantage is caliber professionals will be more apt to join a rigorous board. The CEO will be higher performing to pace with a strategically focused, high performing board.
Why are you waiting? No longer permit the Pretenders in your boardroom.
