Leadership
What a good first board meeting looks like for a new CEO
7 min read
An honest conversation about expectations is more useful than a polished performance.
An honest conversation about expectations is more useful than a polished performance.
Agree what the meeting is for.
A first board meeting is a chance to build a working relationship. The chair should explain how the board uses its time, where it expects challenge and which decisions are coming next. The new CEO should be able to ask questions without performing certainty.
Leave with shared priorities.
Make the next steps explicit. Agree which issues need immediate attention, which require more discovery and how the board can help. A short, candid record of those decisions is more useful than an impressive presentation with no clear conclusion.
A practical next step
Before starting your next appointment, agree the outcomes, the evidence you will assess and the support the new leader will need. Bring those decisions into the first conversation with your search partner.
Further reading
Market report
What boards now expect from a first-time CFO
8 min read
We asked 62 chairs what changed in the last three years. The answers say a lot about who gets the job now.
Hiring guide
How to write a search brief that attracts the right people
5 min read
A useful brief makes the hard choices before the first candidate conversation.
Talk to the partner who’d run your search.
Tell us the role in a few lines. A partner calls you back within one working day.
Brief a search →