Questions

Does the board really want a chief executive?

    • Where is the board in terms of its lifecycle?
    • Does the board really want a chief executive or will an office manager do?
    • Faced with the need to find a new chief executive, is the board really clear about what it is looking for?

Finding the right chief executive

    • Has the board designed a recruitment and selection process that will find and appoint the best-qualified candidate the board can afford?
    • Will the process the board follows do all it can to ensure the person appointed will be successful?

Important elements in an effective board-chief executive relationship

    • Does the board have a clear sense of the type of relationship it wants with the chief executive?
    • Has the board discussed that with the chief executive?
    • Does the board have a clear understanding of what the chief executive’s expectations are?

Delegating to the chief executive

• Is the board doing anything that may be preventing the chief executive from doing their job?

The chair-chief executive relationship

    • Is the board-chief executive relationship in good shape? How does the board know?
    • Does the board have a clear set of delegations?
    • Are they up to date, for example addressing the current board’s up-to-date assessment of risk?
    • Do the delegations give the board sufficient control and empower the chief executive?
    • Does the board have a shared view on the ideal relationship between the chair and chief executive?
    • Is that ideal documented so that it can be used as a reference point as needed?

Evaluating the chief executive’s performance

    • Do board decisions and behaviour reinforce the principle that the chief executive is accountable to the board as a whole?
    • Does the board have soundly based documentation on its employment relationship with its chief executive (employment contract, etc.)?
    • Does it regularly (at least annually) document its expectations about the performance of the chief executive?
    • Does it actively monitor and provide regular constructive feedback on chief executive performance?
    • Does it have a policy framework in place that clearly expresses the organisational ends or outcomes to be achieved and the situations and circumstances to be avoided?