“Making the best work of the best boards accessible to you.”
That’s one of our promises. How do we make good on it?
Great boardroom thinking isn’t just for listed companies. In fact, some of the most powerful improvements we’ve seen come when SME owners apply board-level clarity, discipline and foresight to their own businesses.
So what is good board work? About 20% monitoring and compliance, 80% think-tank. The three key levers are strategy, governance and risk.
Strategy, done well, lifts you out of price-and-feature competition into a market space you create and own. Risk is the flipside to strategy – if you are taking opportunities, you are taking risks; the key is to understand and manage risk. Governance is your early-warning system, enabling you to spot what’s going off track before it becomes a major problem.
During that 80% think-tank time, you’re seeking strategic clarity, courageous decisions, critical debate, succession foresight, and a willingness to look around corners. And holding management to account for the execution of the agreed strategy. The best boards bring accountability and vision together in one room. They are also custodians and exemplars of culture: the statements and behaviours that will take your business to greatness.
“Sounds good, Iain, but I’ve got a business to run. Got to keep those wheels turning!”
Whether you’re a family business, a growing SME, or a regional NFP, your success depends on the same fundamentals: leadership, culture, strategy, risk management, and execution. The principles of exceptional performance can be adapted to any business structure. If you are director, executive and shareholder all in one, the key is to mentally separate those roles. Many SME and family boards double as executive management teams. Segment your meetings appropriately, and watch very carefully how much time you are investing in each role.
You don’t need a board to start thinking like one. We facilitate advisory boards, train leadership teams in governance thinking, and help clients apply board-level disciplines through strategic planning, leadership coaching, and decision support.
So what if the secret to transforming your business isn’t more hours, but better questions? If you’re ready to lift your business to board-level clarity and performance, call me. Let’s see what that could look like for you.