Recently, I found myself saying no to a potential client.

Not because there was a value misalignment. In fact, the CEO was thoughtful, committed and genuinely looking for support. We had several conversations, but something didn’t quite sit right. I couldn’t put my finger on it until I asked the right question.

“Why do you believe you need an advisory board?”

His answer changed everything.

The CEO explained they needed an advisory board to help push through a challenge that their governance board wasn’t supporting. From their perspective, the board simply didn’t understand the opportunity or why it mattered to the future of the organisation.

As we unpacked the situation together, it became clear that the issue wasn’t a lack of support.

It was a lack of shared understanding.

The governance board believed the CEO was advocating for a product.

The CEO was trying to solve a business problem.

Those are two very different conversations.

Before introducing an advisory board, we worked together on something simpler.

We reframed the conversation.

At the next board meeting the CEO presented a paper that clearly articulated the underlying business problem, why it mattered, the risks of inaction and the options available. Rather than asking the board to endorse a preferred solution, they were invited into the problem.

The response was immediate.

Once the governance board understood the challenge, the conversation changed completely. They were able to provide support, contribute their own perspectives and ultimately agree  that an advisory board could play an important role, not to solve today’s communication challenge, but to help the organisation explore future opportunities.

I did go on to work with the CEO as an advisor, and the governance board has since commissioned an advisory board with a clearly defined purpose.

That experience reinforced something I believe deeply.

An advisory board should never become a workaround for a relationship that isn’t functioning between a CEO and their governance board.

The first conversation a CEO should always have is with their Chair.

Governance boards, and particularly Chairs, want to understand the challenges their CEO is facing. They want to hear about the opportunities, the concerns, the uncertainties and the decisions that keep you awake at night. They simply need that information presented within the governance framework that allows them to fulfil their role.

The board understands that the organisation’s success depends heavily on the CEO’s ability to lead and deliver.

I’ve experienced this from the other side of the table.

As Chair of a board, there have been occasions where the board didn’t fully agree with the path the CEO wanted to take. Yet we still chose to support the decision the CEO felt strongly about.

Why?

Because the CEO was accountable for the outcome.

Our responsibility wasn’t to become the CEO. Our responsibility was to ensure they had been challenged appropriately, that risks had been explored, and then to back them so they had every opportunity to succeed.

Their success was the organisation’s success.

Of course, if a CEO is consistently unable to perform the role or deliver the standard required, then the board has a responsibility to act.

But that is a different conversation.

For most CEOs, my advice is simple.

Use your board.

Talk with your Chair before challenges become frustrations. Ask your directors for perspective before decisions become problems. Invite them into the thinking, not just the outcome.

You remain accountable for the results.

That doesn’t mean you have to carry the responsibility alone.

The strongest leadership teams aren’t the ones with all the answers.

They’re the ones who know how to use resources available to make better decisions.

If you’re wondering if an advisory board is the right fit for you, then reach out. I would be happy to have a no obligation chat.