In the article, “What Makes Great Boards Great,” (HBR) Jeffrey Sonnenfeld noticed that one integral attribute about great boards was, “The highest performing companies have extremely contentious boards that regard dissent as an obligation and that treat no subject as undiscussable.”
Therefore, Board of Trustee (BOT) Leadership Matters.

To go further, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink sent a letter to the leaders of public companies (Source: NYTimes below).  The message from the head of the world’s largest investment firm was that CEOs “need to do more than just deliver profits.”  They also need to make a positive impact on society.  With Blackrock’s $6.3 trillion in assets, company leaders undoubtedly take notice.

In his letter, Fink described the importance of boards.  He asserted that board engagement in “developing long-term strategy is essential.”  More pointedly, he noted, “directors whose knowledge is derived from only sporadic meetings are not fulfilling their duty.”

In my experience working with boards of trustees and healthcare executive teams in the past, we have emphasized responsible engagement of the individual members and collaborative teams, as well as, how best to serve the board as a whole, in order to serve the organization and the broader community at large.

At each site where I’ve worked, we have seen engagement increase, culture change and have seen positive results as measured by participants.  Thus, my aspiration for you (for us) is to continue building upon your previous successes, as we jointly shape what could work best for your BOT this year and beyond.