How do I manage my board… it’s a balancing act between being transparent and having panic attacks. It’s all about timing. A CEO who shares every detail of their daily whipsaw’s highs and lows will lose control of their board, company, and sanity.
Hey, folks, every day in the life of a CEO is like the tail of a whip. Constant, high-speed, fast-paced zigs and zags. Changes in motion. Ups and downs. Share too often and too early and lose the control and confidence of your board. Failing to be transparent and timely may cause you to lose more than simple confidence.
When you think about managing your board, you must think about a whip. The tail of a whip moves at great speed over a great distance. That’s the analogy of the life of a CEO. You live the life of the tail of a whip. You experience the ups and the downs. That’s what it’s like to be inside the operation. The board doesn’t need to know how you make your sausage. They need to know the ingredients, the nutrient info, and the calorie count.
How do I manage my board, you ask? Your board is like the driver of your car. You’re the car. Your board doesn’t need to know what’s happening on each cylinder as you barrel down the road at 80 mph. They don’t need to feel the tread grabbing the pavement. They don’t need to drink the gasoline. They only need a speedometer and warning lights, like the check engine and tire pressure lights. They need to be able to turn the wheel and push the accelerator and the brake. But all the little details that keep that baby chugging down the highway. That’s up to you.
How do I manage my board?
It’s your job as CEO to manage board expectations, good and bad. To let them know if the car is heading towards a ditch. But as CEO, you have the crisis du-jour. Is it really a crisis, or is it a tail of the whip issue? Are you driving and going to be 10 minutes early or 10 minutes late? No sweat. Is the car about to break down… that’s a board issue.
Do you want to talk to someone who’s managed a board or two or who’s managed as a board member? Try a complementary online one-on-one by pressing this doohickey button.
- Intentional Leadership – a guide to developing a leadership canvas to build and motivate high-performance teams.
- Cyphers & Sighs – a global high-tech suspense thriller of love, loyalty, and deceit.
Order Non-Fiction Here Order Fiction Here
Intentional Leadership Cyphers & Sighs
