A well-designed assessment can give you a read on the board’s performance in each area of RESPONSIBILITY — strategy, performance, risk, and more. Does the board meet basic regulatory requirements? Follow common practices? Or even set the standard that others follow? Careful evaluation of skills and knowledge, process, information, and behavior can PINPOINT areas of excellence and development opportunities, helping boards and executives understand which areas may need attention. This requires a fresh APPROACH to board EFFECTIVENESS assessments, which have TENDED to measure only past performance. A focus on what the board can do better in the future should be the core of the assessment, not simply an afterthought to address gaps in past performance.

A well-designed assessment can give you a read on the board’s performance in each area of responsibility — strategy, performance, risk, and more. Does the board meet basic regulatory requirements? Follow common practices? Or even set the standard that others follow? Careful evaluation of skills and knowledge, process, information, and behavior can pinpoint areas of excellence and development opportunities, helping boards and executives understand which areas may need attention. This requires a fresh approach to board effectiveness assessments, which have tended to measure only past performance. A focus on what the board can do better in the future should be the core of the assessment, not simply an afterthought to address gaps in past performance.