At Leadership Advisor Group, we have the great pleasure of working closely with a significant number of extremely professional boards. From our large pool of data, we know that having a “good” Chair is a strong indicator of a value-creating board. However, what many overlook is how important it is for the board to also have the support of an experienced Corporate Secretary.
A knowledgeable Corporate Secretary can make a huge difference in terms of ensuring the board is complying with the corporate governance code and successfully orchestrating complex board dynamics (including managing misunderstandings, disputes, and potentially big egos). Having a talented person in the role is also key to ensuring that the executive management team works well with the board, and that the actions the board agrees on are executed. Moreover, the Corporate Secretary will have significant, interesting insights into what the board does well and how it can become better.
Because of the importance of the role, it is Leadership Advisor Group’s great pleasure to always include Corporate Secretaries in our board evaluations. Interviewing the people in these roles provides us with deep relevant knowledge about how the board really operates. For the same reason, we always recommend that the board – when doing a self-assessment – includes the role. For some unknown reason, probably not intentionally, many boards oversee this opportunity to listen and learn.
Boards should not shy away from appreciating and acknowledging the good work of their Corporate Secretary. Their role and contribution is crucial and can make a major difference in how well a board operates. We’d like to take this opportunity at the close of 2022 to thank all the Corporate Secretaries with whom we have had the pleasure of cooperating. Keep up the good work! We are impressed by you and grateful to know you!
Interested in self-evaluation? Try Online Board Evaluations
Well-aligned with national corporate and foundation/charity governance codes, our board clients usually conduct an external board evaluation every three years. However, most national governance codes recommend that boards perform a self-evaluation in the years between external board evaluations. Therefore, we have developed OnlineBoardEvaluations.com, a tool enabling boards to self-evaluate effectively and effortlessly every year.
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