Board Services
Insight: Artificial Intelligence & The Board The 5 learning dimensions and oversight principles that are fundamental for board directors
Board Services
Become Intentional, Serve With Purpose.
Boards of directors are faced with the ever increasing complexity of governance and oversight challenges. They therefore have to continually adapt to the changing needs and challenges of the organizations they serve. We believe an independent and external perspective can help boards as they seek to adapt quickly to opportunities and risks. Ultimately board directors want to be effective in their service on the board and we believe we can help. It’s about serving and service!
Director Learning
Board directors learn about the business strategy implications of technology, cyber risks and artificial intelligence. This is a board-level experience that can be structured as one or more of the following:
Learning Clinic (trends & fluency)
Table Top Exercise (real-world scenarios)
Board Residency (boardroom guests, mentored oversight)
Independent Oversight
Boards can conduct independent external assessments of IT and cyber capabilities/function. The board can also evaluate IT and cyber function for alignment with strategic direction of the organization with the services below:
IT Assessment
Cyber Risk Assessment
Managed Services Provider (MSP) Evaluation
Board Consulting
CEOs, Board chairs and lead independent directors seek board improvements and external perspectives on board practices:
Board Coaching (Board/CEO partnership, director coaching)
Board Governance Evaluation
Board Engagement Assessments (board/management expectations, meeting structure, board pack materials, etc.)
Cyber Risk Oversight:
Questions Every Board Member Needs To Ask
An organization’s cyber strategy is not the cyber framework, or the cyber practices and pall. We believe cyber strategy is about strategic business outcomes/value and not just frameworks and definitely not quarter-inch holes.
Productive & Positive Boardroom Experience: Essential Elements
Purposeful Design
The universal challenge for directors in most boardrooms is the lack of time to cover all the complex board topics
A purposeful design that structures the boardroom experience as before, during and after a board meeting can help with this challenge. The central idea is to carefully plan all the design elements (e.g. pre-meeting dinner/learning, quality pre-reads, agenda, strategy topics, committee updates, executive sessions, post-meeting surveys, etc.) as an integrated cohesive experience and not just a board meeting event.
Focused Discussion
Sometimes board meetings end up with light discussions on several topics instead of deeper discussions on a few critical strategic ones
Intentionally prioritize focused time on strategic problem solving. The key to achieving this level of focus is deciding what topics you are not going to discuss ahead of time (e.g. topics that will be update only). Apply designations of “Decide, Update, Inform & Discuss” for meeting topics/content when possible.
Skilled Facilitation
The art of effectively facilitating a board meeting requires a healthy dose of empathy and emotional intelligence. The board chair typically is responsible for this action, which strongly influences the boardroom experience
The primary objective is to balance meaningful board engagement against time constraints and perspectives from some other more reserved directors. Sounds easy but can be quite challenging. Respectfully informing directors of some ground rules in advance will be helpful. Ultimately, this comes with time and deliberate coaching on facilitating interactive meetings
Insights & Client Stories
Board Cyber Oversight
Client Story: Board briefing on cyber risk audit solutions provider leverages cyber capabilities as brand differ
Strategy & The Board
Insight: Reimagining the board’s role in strategy and strategic planning and helpful practices
Board Leadership
Insight: Board leadership, board chair and committee chair, or elevates its salesforce capabilities with cyber u
A Board Lens On: CEO Goals & Priorities
The board can help CEOs by working collaboratively with them to align the strategic priorities for the organization for the appropriate season (i.e. restructuring, turnaround, growth, disruption, etc). Board members can also provide strategic input to the CEO goals that align with these priorities while preserving and maintaining CEO autonomy. The guide below can help facilitate a discussion about CEO goals and priorities.
Board As A Coach - Tom Landry quote. Whatever a man sows, that he shall also reap. This principle of sowing and reaping applies to strategy. Strategy is like sowing seeds now so you can reap a bountiful harvest in the future
Starting A Board Mentorship Program: 3 Foundational Building Blocks
Connection
Establish and cultivate a genuine connection between board mentor and mentee. This requires intentional action by board leadership and won’t happen automatically.
Connection provides psychological safety for newer board members to engage fully with the board and bring their best and whole selves to the board room
Commitment
Get the necessary commitment of time, energy and discretionary effort on the part of both the board mentor and mentee.
Alignment on commitment ensures that mentoring interactions will be beneficial and that will accelerate contributions from newer board members.
Collaboration
Encourage board mentees and newer board members to engage with the executive management team subject to CEO consent.
Such engagement will produce a better understanding of the business and the respective functional areas in the newer board directors. This requires a high degree of trust between the board and the CEO/management
