A First-Timer’s Guide
to the Real World of Boards and Company Directorships
A quick flick through the book suggests it is easy to read,
and it is. Robyn says in her opening chapter how it is important for her to
share her knowledge as a conversation, and this approach really engages the
reader. We are asked to read the whole book so that the conversation really
takes hold once we have all the insights.
As a learner I followed Robyn’s advice and found is very
satisfying. The content is rich with very useful material, stories, latest
research and is entertaining, clever and practical. It is jam packed with lots
of information and is written in a style that makes it easy to understand. Robyn
clearly enjoys the topic and you feel that she wants you to succeed as a director.
She makes the various points with intelligence, ease and makes sure the reader
understands that as directors we need to be fully committed to the role,
obligations and responsibilities.
The book is well structured -
three key parts with four to five key elements:
Part One: Pre-Appointment - this
section is dedicated to helping you to contemplate and investigate whether
becoming a director is really a role you want. This starts with ‘Where to Begin’
- a key highlight in this section is the message of ego versus the cause/business
and alignment with your own values. I was reminded to think carefully about how
comfortable I would be saying I sit on the board of ‘X’. Also the question of
why the board director vacancy came about.
Robyn then moves into company culture, strategy and financials. I found
this section a really practical refresher. It is about research and getting a
sense of the culture. This is where we are introduced to the ‘Checklists’.
These are terrific practical tools that really help you learn. I liked the fact
that early in the book Robyn introduces the need for directors to be able to
read a set of financial statements and if you don’t then go and get some
training. The reminder about de facto directors in very pertinent. Meeting the
Chairman, CEO, CFO and other directors is sound advice as are the checklists,
in particular the Top 10 Pre-Appointment Must-Dos.
Part Two: Invitation Accepted -
this section is about the board induction process, meetings, dos and don’ts and
how to conduct yourself. Whilst it is written for the new director I think it
offers some great advice for existing directors both individually and in relation
to improving current practices. If you are not sure if you have everything in
place for when a new directors starts, this book is a great tool. As a CEO I did
laugh at the part about ‘We’re all human…’ and errors in the board packs. Robyn’s reminder about Board Minutes is
sobering.
Part Three: In the Boardroom and
Beyond - we are reminded of the importance of our roles as directors, the
contribution we can make and our statutory and fiduciary duty we owe to the
organisation. The conversation about the importance of developing working
relationships with other directors is very useful along with the need to hold all
information in-confidence. As a great advocate for ongoing education and using
our intuition I commend Robyn on including this in her book.
We do need to keep learning and
developing ourselves. I found the book highly practical, providing relevant
tips, examples and excellent checklist exercises to engage in immediate
application. I firmly believe that this book will support those people seeking to
become a board director and to those of us committed to becoming an exceptional
director.