How to be on a board

With the latest season of The Apprentice reaching its climax, boardrooms are back in the popular imagination. By the looks on the candidates’ faces, stepping into that room is still as daunting as ever. But even if you are not facing the withering stare of Karren or the irascible Alan, the first time in a boardroom can be nerve racking. If you are joining a board this year, how can you walk in with confidence?

In my experience, the importance of the work of the board is both wildly overestimated and wildly underestimated. Boards don't run companies, executives do, but at certain moments of crisis or change, boards are fundamental. Boards are always a work in progress and I have never encountered one that is perfect.

One of the challenges of a board is keeping the agenda and discussion at the right strategic level. This can be hard as non-executive directors often bring their own views to the organization. There are multiple ways to help the company as a board member and multiple functions you can perform but getting your own ideas executed is not the most helpful or most likely. When I first joined the board of Channel 4, I was sure that my e-commerce experiences from the dotcom era were going to revolutionize the company’s strategic direction. I imagined that after a couple of board meetings, I would have suggested some technology innovations and seen them implemented within weeks- wasn’t that what I was there for?

Turns out it wasn’t. Despite thinking I knew exactly what technology transformation was needed, management had their own plans.

It’s important to recognise that, while boards can of course offer operational expertise - for example, how to scale a product or how to launch internationally - they are much more effective as a sounding board and forum to ask good questions. It’s unhelpful if board directors are in the weeds of daily decisions as the board is one of the few times and places you can think longer term or more strategically.

Trying to resist the urge to tell the executives what to do at a micro level but elevating the conversation to the bigger issues is always more helpful. I'll never forget being in a Marks and Spencer board session, with 10 non-execs and 8 executives, mainly men, and talking about the design of the latest lingerie collections. How much more useful it would have been to have spent the time talking about the future of that sector and shifting consumer behaviour, rather than a subject we, thank goodness could have no impact on at all.

Getting to know your colleagues outside the boardroom is still surprisingly unusual, but is always worth it. There is normally some board time over a year scheduled for a dinner or drinks with the top team but I suggest actively taking time to have a coffee with your chief executive, ask to meet up with your fellow board directors and anyone else in the senior team you have the time to get to know. Perhaps it was because I travelled all the way to the US for the meetings, but when I first joined the board of Twitter in 2016, I arranged 30 mins with all the other directors. One of them told me it was the first time they had ever had an extra meeting with a fellow board member. these short catch-ups immensely deepened my understanding of people's motivations and I learned a lot. . If you are anything like me, it can feel intimidating in any new role, so building these side relationships helps.

Being a board member has become more and more demanding over the last decade as governance expectations have changed. This is good in my opinion. It is something to take seriously and work hard at. The best board members I know have read all the board papers in detail, paid attention to the team’s challenges and turned up ready to listen and learn. Part of how you can best serve the company is by committing to the role, being flexible, available and showing up when you are needed beyond the scheduled meetings. I feel for the poor executive assistants who have to coordinate board calendars - especially if unexpected events mean you have to find time across 10 calendars at short notice.

So if you join a board, you have to prioritize it. I’ve seen board directors lose credibility and therefore influence in companies because they have failed to be present. You will be asked to join committees which take time and you will definitely be part of moments you never planned. A chief executive might suddenly leave, a global pandemic might hit, a tricky investor might become active. Being engaged is essential at these times of change or crisis. The executive team needs to know that you are by their side during the ups and downs. When we were dealing with Elon at Twitter, we had unscheduled meetings almost daily. Everyone had to reorganize holidays, travel plans and other work commitments. I was in hospital last summer while also serving on the transaction committee so I attended our virtual meetings while attached to a drain and an iv drip.

Finally, the boards I have seen work best remember they are teams - there to serve the customers, employees and shareholders. You will have to make tough decisions, sometimes even change a chief executive but most of the time you are there to be a critical friend. Taking time to thank the people who present in meetings, challenging them, but always in a constructive way and never with ego is the job. Boards with too much conflict and drama should be reserved for television.