Need to know

Q I am a Chief Executive and my relationship with the Chair is doing my head in. He has only been with us a year (I have been here three), and depending on the subject he is either completely hands-on (unbearably so), or doesn’t want to know. I am finding that it is taking up increasing amounts of my time to manage this relationship, and other areas of the organisation are starting to suffer. At the moment, I feel that one of us needs to leave. Are there any other options?

A I’m sure you’re not alone. I hope some of my suggestions may help you to determine a range of appropriate actions. Incidentally, don’t resign! In answering your concerns, I’ve drawn on ‘Your Chair and Board – A survival guide and toolkit for CEOs’ published by Acevo, which I highly recommend.
 

He has only been Chair for a year – and you may have got off on the
wrong foot from the start. Have you both made time to understand
each other’s personal motivation and communication preferences – to create a more positive working relationship?
• You need mutual respect and trust – best achieved through regular
communication. If you only meet whenever there is a problem, this sets the relationship as one based upon conflict.
• What induction did you each have in managing the Chair-CEO
relationship, expectations and responsibilities? Does your chair have a job description, i.e. are there clearly understood lines of demarcation? Can you agree ways to form a relationship that has a positive impact on the organisation – rather than one based on your
personal relationship?
• Don’t take disagreements personally – you’re a professional. Respond to the issue, not the person and/or their position.
• Are you or your Chair neglecting agreed channels of
communication – especially if things are rough? Less
communication could lead to further deterioration.
• Is your Chair able to scrutinise the organisation’s performance properly? Perhaps he is choosing to be so hands on because it’s the
only way he can understand how things work. Ask the Board what
they need to know.
• Have other trustees noted that there is an issue? It might be helpful
to have a trustee to whom you could speak in confidence accept
responsibility for personnel issues.
• Think carefully before you resign. You may give yourself the
reputation of being leader unable to resolve HR problems,
preferring to walk away instead. Don’t insist that your Chair
resigns. This is a matter for trustees. They may be reluctant to
assume the role of the Chair if there is any sense that they may
be forced to resign if they don’t enjoy a good relationship
with the CEO.