In a time of crisis, and certainly we are in such a time, it’s not on the chief executive to do it all. Today, it is imperative that we look to the partnership between the chief executive and the board. It is the community they form that must step up.

When a board hires a competent chief executive, it presumably has adopted the basics of role differentiation to support the mission of the organization where the chief executive and board each have a clearly delineated lane. But what happens when a seismic change occurs, and the chief executive must redefine what they do? How must they care for the employees, ensure their safety, apply for federal loans and grants that evolve in real time, stay on top of the virtual advice being offered, and lead with skills perhaps outside their knowledge base — all of which require decisions to be made without a board being able to convene.

While board and chief executive have pledged to “be in this together,” what does that mean now?  How do they refine being that strategic asset now in support of the mission? Today, as the lanes are changing rapidly, boards must become allies with their chief executives. The life-and-death decisions that the chief executive and board must address for the staff, the organization, and the people they serve are decidedly different than when the chief executive was hired, or when board members were brought on. Today, everyone must be present, step up, and act to support the organization.

There are many critical ways to put this into action. Here are my top three, each grounded in fundamental values of good governance:

  1. Responsibility for Decision-Making: Taking full responsibility for the organization
  2. Humility: Understanding that one’s knowledge is not the complete and relying on others is critical
  3. Adaptively planning: Continuity planning with the immediate and longer view

Read the full article about board and CEO partnerships during COVID-19 by Ann Cohen at BoardSource.