Communication and Trust - Boards and Executives

The simplest test of whether a board of dierctors and its CEO/Executive Director enjoy a good working relationship is to ask two questions: 1) do you believe you have access to consistently good information that allows you to fulfill your role?; and 2) do you have reason to doubt the motives or truth of what you're told in your role?

If the answer to either of these questions is anything other than an enthusiastic and confident "Yes!", communication and trust are issues for your organization.

Note that I didn't specify whether a board member or the CEO/ED is taking this 2-question test. Both roles need to have confidence, and both should be asking this question periodically.

I would argue, however, that the CEO/ED should also be asking themselves, "Do I conduct myself in such a way as to BUILD trust and ENHANCE communication? Am I proactive or reactive?" These concerns are more important for the personal interests of the CEO/ED, as they affect job security and job performance. After all, in the extreme case, a board can fire a CEO/ED when communication is poor and/or trust is lost. It's VERY rare for a CEO/ED to "fire" a board.