Are you ready for the challenges of your first board position?

After several years spent assessing risks in businesses, Jean Pousson made an accidental detour into management training. After a position as Director of Studies at TSB Banking Group, he started his first consultancy and training business in 1994 and his second in 2011. 

Jean has been working alongside Vistage for around 15-20 years. Through us and other organisations, he’ll typically interact with 500-600 directors each year – and with his wealth of experience in leadership assessment, training, board evaluation and strategic health checks, Jean knows a thing or two about how boards operate. His Vistage event on Wednesday, July 10th – The Toolkit for Executives – will address the topic of board dynamics, and how new directors can better address the challenges they face. 

We spoke to Jean before the event to find out what attendees can expect…

Setting the scene…

Accepting your first board position or non-executive directorship is an exciting time. However, you also have the challenge of fitting into something that is already well-established. 

Jean compares it with taking your first baby home from the hospital. “You of course have a feeling of elation”, he says. “But you also have a feeling of overwhelming responsibility and you think god, I’m on my own here. You’ve read all the books, but nobody teaches you exactly how things work.”

He describes some wisdom that a company director shared with him many years ago. “When you become a director you’ll have two job descriptions”, Jean quotes. “You’ll have your technical job description that the Chief Executive will appraise, but you’ll also have your director job description.”

As a director, there are certain qualities – beyond technical abilities – that are expected. You’ll need to handle the existing behaviours, norms, cultures and power plays of your board. 

“As an example, do you know when you’re being influenced?”, he asks. “Is that over-the-top flattery about your first board presentation genuine, or is it coming from a board member who needs you on-side, for whatever reason? Distinguishing between the real and the political is often a significant challenge.”

Things a new board member must learn

“A lot of the time, boards don’t actually make decisions”, says Jean. “They’ll talk about a subject, and make an action plan to deal with it in the next meeting.” He warns against confusing activity with achievement. “Be sure to mark some items on the agenda as for discussion and some as for decision, to ensure things get done”, he says. 

You’ll need to understand who really holds the power on your board. You’ll need to learn to fight the right battles. You’ll need to establish when humility is needed. 

“Soft skills are crucial”, stresses Jean. “You’re working alongside people of the same level – you can’t pull rank over each other, you have to work together.”

With ambition, egos and vanity jostling for centre-stage, “that’s why boards often don’t work”, he says. “It’s a lot of really clever people, really hard-working people. There’s often no malice, they’re really well-intentioned but they all have a different point of view and it just doesn’t work.”

He compares an executive board with a football team. “The best eleven don’t always make the best team”, he says. “Sometimes you have to choose the combination of 11 players that makes the strongest team – and it’s not always the best eleven. Many coaches don’t get that.”

Why you should attend Jean’s webinar

Whether you’re a newly appointed director, a new non-executive director or an established director finding board dynamics a challenge, Jean’s Vistage event this July promises to be a very practical event, born out of experience. “It will be a frank and honest sharing of experiences”, says Jean. “Those who attend will have a number of practical takeaways at the end – either to apply to their own situation, or to internalise and save for when they are needed.”
Register for Jean’s Vistage event here.

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