Tool 1
Delegated Authority: Key Roles of the Board and Management
Define board and management roles for mutual trust and accountability.
Blue Ribbon Commission
Red Flags in the Board-CEO Relationship
Complementing the guidance of the 2025 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission Report on Building a High-Trust Board-CEO Relationship, this boardroom tool provides practical guidance for implementing Recommendation #4: Commit to ongoing communications to sustain trust beyond formal meetings.
How to use this tool: Directors, the CEO, and C-suite can use this tool to benchmark their relationship against six critical dimensions and potential red flags. Based on this assessment, the board, CEO, or both can identify and implement steps to strengthen their ongoing relationship
A poor board-CEO relationship can reveal itself in many ways: via poor communications, misalignment on goals, or simply a discomfort of engaging with each other. These “red flags” in the relationship should not be ignored as they can signal larger or deeper ruptures that are ultimately suboptimizing the value and impact of an effective board-CEO dynamic.
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Toolkit for Action
12 practical tools to implement the recommendations and strengthen the relationship.
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Tool 2
Aligning the CEO and Board Through Compensation
Strategic compensation decisions for the board throughout the CEO life cycle
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Tool 3
CEO’s Role in Executive Compensation Design
Align the role of the CEO and board on the approach to executive compensation.
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Tool 4
Case Study: Establishing Board-CEO Clarity and Trust
A blueprint to build a strong board-CEO relationship through shared expectations and candid dialogue
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Tool 5
Setting Strategy: A Road Map for the Board’s Engagement with Management
Enhance the board’s engagement in the strategy process through seven key steps.
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Tool 6
Independent Board Leader Archetype
Discover the essential qualities for effective independent board leadership—the linchpin of a healthy board-CEO dynamic.
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Tool 7
Red Flags in the Board-CEO Relationship
Benchmark your board-CEO relationship and turn red flags to green by strengthening communication, aligning goals, and more.
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Tool 8
Applying Board and CEO Evaluations to Improve the Relationship
Support the board-CEO relationship with behavior-focused annual evaluations.
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Tool 9
Executive Sessions Effectiveness Checklist
Three key steps to enhance executive sessions and support a strong board-CEO relationship
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Tool 10
Board’s Role in CEO Well-Being
Proactively support CEO well-being by establishing a culture of openness and trust.
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Tool 11
Enhancing the Board’s Role as Strategic Advisor
Unlock the board’s strategic value by balancing oversight with guidance on issues within management’s authority.
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Tool 12
Clean-Sheet Approach to Board Composition
Enhance the assessment of board composition and mapping of board skills to support alignment to CEO success.
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