Considerations in Making the Tranistion to a New Chief Executive |
Organisations become less effective - sometimes spectacularly so - during the
time it takes to make the transition from an outgoing chief executive to a new
one. The lessons from experience are that the transition process can and
should be managed with as much deliberation and care as the selection process
itself.
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Valuing Intelligent Naivety |
 "I
quickly understood that it was my job to ask the
dumb questions," said one of NZ's outstanding
leaders reflecting on her early governance
experience when she was often the only female board
member. "Further to the point, I was frequently
thanked privately by my male colleagues for raising
certain issues or asking questions to which they
also wanted to know the answers." An experienced
male director commented at the same workshop that,
"...in the boardroom, men often hold back from
asking questions because they seem to feel a gender
obligation to behave as if they understand
everything."
Research also seems to
support these observations that male dominated
boards might be deficient in their ability to
inquire and question effectively. For example, one
US study suggests that, compared with men, women
directors are likely to show greater persistence
than their male colleagues in pursuing answers to
difficult questions (1).
Regardless of
their membership mix and whether there are
verifiable gender differences, boards should take
active steps to ensure that they do not suffer from
an inability to adequately inquire and question.
Where this inherent learning disability exists the
risks are high indeed.
(1) Vicki Kramer, Alison
Konrad and Sumru Erkut (2006). Critical Mass on
Corporate Boards: Why Three or More Women Enhance
Corporate Governance. Wellesley, MA. Wellesley
Centers for Women
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Board Meeting Tip: Parking Lot
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A parking lot is a useful place to store members' vehicles during a board
meeting. The 'parking lot' referred to in this article, however, is a
somewhat different concept. It refers to a useful process for keeping
track of matters arising during the course of a meeting that are worthy of
further attention - but just not today.
This boardroom parking lot
is simply the place (often a flip chart) where the board 'parks' any matters
that arise (e.g. ideas, questions and future agenda topics) that aren't on its
agenda, but which the board agrees could be important or valuable to consider
at another time. The use of a parking lot (sometimes also called an 'issues
list') helps to keep the present board meeting on task and moving forward.
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What's in a Name - GM or CEO?
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Question: Can you give me some advice on
the differences between the titles 'general manager' and 'chief executive
officer'? We are currently pondering this issue for my position.
Answer: As far as titles go it is really a matter of choice; there is
nothing hard and fast. The terms are often used interchangeably. In
recent years, however, it has become more common to use the term chief
executive for an organisation's principal paid employee. There has
developed a wide sense that a 'CEO' role carries more status and has a
'bigger' job.
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