Trust Under Pressure: Navigating Board - CEO Dynamics in Challenging Circumstances

Please join us for a conversation about sustaining trust and clarity between the Board Chair and CEO during contested or high-visibility moments, from stakeholder activism to public controversies. This session is designed for both profit and not-for-profit directors and will provide key takeaways on how to build a strong, resilient Board-Chair/CEO relationship, foster effective Board decision-making, and constructively manage stakeholder engagement. Speakers will unpack governance boundaries, crisis decision frameworks, and which issues may be most appropriate for direct bilateral direction between the Board Chair and CEO including:

• Is the Board Chair a mentor, coach, advisor or sounding board for the CEO?
• Understanding your lane - the importance of the Board Chair and the CEO clearly understanding roles and responsibilities in a disrupted environment
• Dealing with disagreement and difficult conversations
•  Building a trusted relationship with a new Board Chair or new CEO
•  Issues specific to not-for-profit boards, including CEO evaluation with limited comparative benchmarks, volunteer board dynamics, mission stewardship and drift prevention