What are your board’s historically unmentionable topics?
If board composition and succession come up, you should talk about them now.
We at DDJ Myers sometimes need to ask board members or a board chair, “What are the historically unmentionable topics that your board should discuss?” In response, we often hear “board composition” and “succession.”
The way people frame the topics of board-level board composition and succession planning can make them difficult to discuss. Deflecting this important conversation might sound like:
- “Our board is performing well. Why do we need to talk about succession?”
- “Board succession means term limits. Term limits are a way for them to get me off the board.”
- “No one leaves our board; we don’t need succession.”
- “Change for the sake of change will take us off course.”
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