The board paradox

This third Daring to Lead brief examines the paradoxical nature of board and executive director relationships. Key findings include:

• While executive directors tended to give boards relatively high marks when asked about overall performance, their responses to more speci­fic questions often contradicted that assessment—and suggest that boards are neglecting critical governance responsibilities.
• Despite these board performance challenges, most executive directors are not spending a signi­ficant percentage of their time working with and supporting their boards.
• Executive directors who spend more time working with their boards demonstrate higher satisfaction with board performance.