The current business environment is robust, dynamic and disruptive. This often presents boardroom professionals with challenges requiring skills they may have either under-utilised or, may not have been adequately developed prior to their appointment as directors. This is equally true for those professionals or consultants who are tasked with supporting or advising boardroom members.

In today’s challenging business environment, it is manifestly important that boardroom members and those consulting to or supporting these professionals, understand…

• how to communicate the organisation’s mission and vision, and
• the effect that their message has on their ability to build an integrated, supportive, committed team

In most cases professionals who enter the boardroom or work with the board discover that it is a much more difficult task to obtain cohesion, cooperation and team engagement than they might have initially thought. Communicating the corporate mission and vision on a daily basis is a very challenging task for most boardroom members and their senior support staff particularly when the goal posts are forever moving.

 

Understanding the challenge…

This dynamic changing environment often creates the need for board members and their senior staff to alter strategy at short notice. The inability to adequately and persuasively communicate the need and reasons for announced changes can create a disoriented and disengaged workforce environment. As a result, board members and their senior support staff may find it difficult to influence and lead. An under developed ability in this critical area of leadership ultimately causes general staff demotivation and disengagement from organisational objectives, which in turn, negatively impacts on the bottom line as well as competitiveness and efficiency.

 

Directors often face the challenge of…

• how to successfully obtain support for the decisions they have taken, and
• the ability to influence those around them, and finally…
• to successfully negotiate and positively influence those who resist supporting their decisions

The challenge is equally as difficult for senior support staff that work intimately with their immediate boardroom member(s) and carry responsibility for ensuring the implementation of these decisions.

Whether the challenge is considered from the viewpoint of a board member or those supporting the board, the task of communicating in a manner that maintains a positive, cohesive team effort is no easy feat and requires development of a skill set that is normally not standard repertoire for most executives.

In addition to the skill set required within the organisation’s environment, there are the inter-board member dynamics to consider. Interpersonal relationships between boardroom members also need careful management and those involved in this environment also often find themselves ill prepared for the communication skill set required for their new position. A poor skill set in this area could result in a board member who should have far more impact on the organisation’s competitiveness and agility, finding themselves unable to bring their gifts to bear effectively on the businesses strategy and bottom line.

 

Essentials skills considered…

Examining some of the primary challenges facing boardroom executives and their senior support staff reveals an essential and particular skill set requirement. These include:

• understanding how to navigate the power play that occurs in most boardrooms. This power play often creates informal alignments within the boardroom which requires skillful management of the individual relationships to achieve desired goals
• developing influencing skills to build solid interpersonal relationships
• becoming skillful at influencing rather than manipulating or bullying
• building a strong level of negotiation skills to assist their strategy
• the ability to counter resistance effectively thereby adding value to the organisational objectives

 

Benefits realised…

While it is initially challenging and confronting for most boardroom members and their senior support colleagues, those executives who do develop these essential boardroom skills generally have much greater success and are able to:

• develop a deeper understanding of the interpersonal dynamics of how the boardroom functions
• understand what motivates their fellow board members and what this means for communicating, influencing, negotiating and dealing with colleagues in everyday situations
• build winning strategies to gain greater success in the boardroom
• adjust their individual communication style to gain maximum positive results
• use well developed negotiation skills to influence their team
• build strategy that taps into the deeper dynamic of interpersonal transactions within the board
• deal with resistance and the power gap

In conclusion, if you are looking to join a Board, move into a Board consulting role, or you already work intimately with the Board, a review of whether your current skill set adequately meets the criteria discussed in this article, might determine whether you could benefit from some training in this area.

 

Acquiring communication skills…

Training in this skill set could determine your future success or failure at this critical level of business. Why not give Centre for Integrative Leadership a call to enjoy a confidential discussion and learn how we can help you advance your leadership skill set.