Every time?  Yes - without fail! 

 

My phone rings and an anxious voice on the other end says, "Kent, I need your help!"  

 

"What's up?" I ask.

Board members lament that the CEO isn't doing her job.  CEOs complain that the Board is interfering with organizational operations.    

 

What's the real story?  And what's the remedy?  

 

The right party,  

d oing the right job,    

a t the right time,  

in the right way .  

Always.  

 

Simply put, everything that comes to the attention of your organization either consists of governance or not governance . Everything.  

 

Governance must always and only be handled by the Board. 

 

Not governance - all of it - belongs to the CEO.  And he or she must directly handle not governance (leadership, management, execution, micromanagement) or delegate it to the support staff.  

 

Period.

Let me assure you this is easier said than done. It's difficult, but certainly not impossible.  

 

And once the roles are clarified around this reality, everything - yes everything - goes much more smoothly.  

 

The temporary pain resulting from this adjustment is more than repaid by the rapid result : a healthy organization . One in which the board and CEO are each staying in their own lane, working together t o achieve one common vision.   

 

If you face these frustrat ions , take a close look at the source of the dysfunction . Then develop specific steps to implement this crucial discipline.