The progressive board looks for the time and resources spent on board evaluation to align with their philosophy of continuous improvement and reflective intelligence.
The Focus of a Board Evaluation
At the very least, a board evaluation will focus on key functions of the board, provide a “gap” analysis that draws weak areas to the surface, provide disbursement of responses, and identify the “tone” of the responses.
Board evaluation is most meaningful as a productive activity for the board when it focuses on board development rather than compliance. This requires knowledge not only of board functions, roles, and responsibilities, but also of how all this information links to the current business/industry trends and market changes.
The Board Evaluation as a Transformational Tool
In addition, a dynamic board evaluation moves the board to a higher level of performance on business issues while enhancing group dynamics. Overall, a board evaluation can transform a group of strong individuals to a collective body of focused board members who become invaluable to the CEO, senior management team, and all stakeholders.
5 Parts of a Skillful Board Evaluation
A skillful board evaluation can cause directors to say “I’m glad we did that.” This kind of skillful evaluation is produced from:
- Clear board objectives
- Reports and feedback from a knowledgeable third-party facilitator where needed
- Facilitated follow-up discussions with the board to identify board development actions
- Integration of the board evaluation into strategic leadership and planning
- Insights that lead to greater team effectiveness
To learn more about board evaluations, read my previous post: Inquiring Minds Want to Know about Board Evaluations.
Tracy Houston
Tracy E. Houston, M.A., is the president of Board Resources Services, LLC. She is a refined specialist in board consulting and executive coaching with a heartfelt passion for rethinking performance, teams and the boardroom. Her company, Board Resource Services, LLC, is online at www.eboardmember.com and www.eboardguru.com. You can follow Tracy on Twitter @BoardGuru. Headquartered in the Denver, Colorado area, Tracy is an avid hiker.
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