You might think that an executive coach could easily fill the role of boardroom coach, but the truth is, boardroom coaching is a specific niche that requires the expertise of someone who is themselves experienced as a board director. So how is Board Director coaching different from Executive Coaching?

Board Directors need an ever-evolving skill set

The boardroom of the future (and indeed the boardroom of today) requires Board Directors with different – and ever-evolving – skill sets. Functional skills, areas of expertise, and technical skills are critical to effective board performance and can only be coached by qualified professionals with experience in board governance. But perhaps even more important than these “hard” skills are less tangible things like leadership and communication skills, perspectives, biases, intellectual curiosity and self-awareness.  A Board Coach can support in the Board Director in their journey in the Boardroom.

In the Boardroom, the Board Director has a fiduciary responsibility which is different from that of executive management. If you think about it, the board comprises Board Directors who have nothing in common except that they meet once a quarter to oversee the organization of which they are the governing institution. Yet, they are expected to navigate boardroom dynamics, have powerful conversations, and make decisions that are in the best interests of the company. They are also held accountable for those decisions to all stakeholders, including shareholders the essence of corporate governance. A Board Coach who is also a Board Director can relate to the Boardrooom dynamics.

A Board Coach, partners with the Board Director to integrate their skills with greater self-awareness and intellectual curiosity and this contributes to more purposeful boardroom conversations and enhanced strategic and operational decision-making in the Boardroom. Ethical and Effective Board Leadership is critical.

Board leadership

The dynamics for Board Directors in the Boardroom is qualitatively different than at an executive management level and having a boardroom coach who understands this difference and has walked the road, is critical. Boardroom coaching with Boardvisory broadens directors’ perspectives, nurtures their sense of humanity, stimulates ethical consciousness, drives a move from ego-centricity to “eco-centricity” and promotes more positive boardroom behaviour.

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