How to be an effective chair of the board
Career13.06.2025
Stepping into the role of board chair can feel intimidating – even for the most experienced directors. You might worry about how to lead discussions without dominating them, how to manage strong personalities in the room, or how to balance the responsibilities of governance while maintaining a strong relationship with the CEO.
These are common concerns – and totally valid ones. The role of chair isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about guiding the board with intention, clarity, and confidence. As a previous article in Harvard Business Review explains, the key is to “remember you’re not the CEO.” Your job is to enable strong, strategic conversations – not to run the organization.
So how do you step into the chair role with impact?
Our friends at Women Get on Board pulled together some top tips for becoming a great board chair:
1. Be a great listener
The chair’s role is to encourage dynamic discussions. That means knowing when to let conversations flow, stimulating discussion where needed, and encouraging specific individuals to contribute their perspectives.
As this article from Bonnie W. Gwin and Victoria Reese of Heidrick & Struggles urges, chairs should listen first and speak last. You might even consider adopting the W.A.I.T. (Why Am I Talking?) framework in board meetings.
2. Have the courage to handle difficult conversations
Don’t let bad behaviour in the boardroom go unnoticed or wait until the annual board evaluation to speak to disruptive board members who are constantly interrupting others and spending too much time on their computers.
Speak to the disruptive board member immediately after the board meeting to address the behaviour and set expectations for future board meetings. Leading with self-awareness and empathy will give you the courage to have these difficult conversations.
3. Be proactive with foresight, insight and oversight
Be agile, anticipate what is ahead, and be ready to pivot if your industry experiences an economic or competitive impact. Most importantly, always keep strategy on the board’s agenda.
It’s not an annual agenda item; it is an ongoing agenda item to be included in every meeting. To guide your approach, review this framework for evaluating your abilities as a board chair.
4. Build trust with your board members and the executive team
Trust is earned over time. To build an open and transparent culture for both the board members and the executive team, set the tone at the top so that everyone feels comfortable, safe and heard.
This article provides six tips on building trust.
5. Be inclusive
When a board is truly inclusive, everyone is able to share their perspective and thus, create a more thorough and effective decision-making process.
This article from Shona McGlashan outlines how an inclusion-focused chair can hold space for everyone to contribute by interjecting when a director is interrupted, opening the floor for alternative points of view, and ensuring all contributions are acknowledged.
