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Board Assessment


Learn more about the GEM Assessment for Boards at Strive

BUSINESS CASE:  Why Do it?

  • Credibility with the Investment Community
  • Recruiting Capable Directors
  • Retaining Strong Inside Executive Talent
  • Establishing Board Accountability
  • Creates a “ROADMAP” FOR DEVELOPMENT

Introduction
Although the typical board of directors evaluates the chief staff executive annually, too few boardsunderstand the value of assessing their own performance. But without a defined, periodic evaluation process, a board materially increases the chances that it may drift aimlessly or, worse, sink into disarray.

Answering three common questions about board assessment will help you see that the process is not difficult–and can be richly rewarding for everyone involved.

1. Why bother with a board assessment?
2. How often should the board engage in self-assessment?
3. Exactly how does an assessment work?

Our Process consists of:

  • Self-evaluation
  • Peer evaluation
  • Direct “outsider” evaluation
  • Committee evaluation
  • Meeting evaluation
  • Organizational Evaluation

Outcomes
The outcome of the assessment process is a REPORT CARD.  The questions asked of the board stimulate reflection among directors. However, the real insight and development comes with the feedback of results that highlight trends, patterns and key perception differences. Our experience is that this cannot be done effectively as an agenda item at a regular board meeting. The greatest learning and potential for change occurs when the group focuses on the most relevant issues from the feedback at a meeting venue other than its normal setting e.g. a board retreat. This helps change the paradigms and expectations that this is not going to be another “business as usual” meeting.

After the board sees the results of its own data summarized, and the “best practices” are presented, the directors are led through a process of action planning to lay a course forward. This course reflects what it will choose to do differently and how it will monitor itself in doing so to hold itself accountable.

The Action Planning may include things such as changing in the way information is handled, how meetings are conducted, how strategic progress is monitored or how directors are selected and/or replaced.