Company Board Member

How top corporates are compelled to adapt

Top corporate board of any organization must show the sort of leadership that pulls the best of their organizations’ workforce and thinking into play in the wake of corporate scandals, a global pandemic, and an uncertain economic and social recovery.

Recent research concludes that there has been a significant shift in the function of the board director.

Board members must recognize risk and opportunity like never before, beyond regulation and compliance.

Therefore, they must be more adaptable, agile, and responsive amid increased accountability and governance reforms.

The best individuals are committed, curious and aware of how frequently and unexpectedly the world changes.

Expectations on a personal and societal level are growingIt is changing how directors are chosen, educated, and developed.

Biggest strategic issues that companies face today

Many businesses had to adjust their plans relatively immediately due to the pandemic, which increased the accountability, scrutiny, and pressure on onboarding processes and procedures. Below are some of the issues companies face with their top board.

  • Increasing commercial risk
  • Economic turbulence and uncertainty
  • Need to adopt a new business model
  • Leadership teams' character traits must compliment

The number of board-level changes increased as companies looked for individuals with the necessary expertise to handle the crisis.

Covid-19 has forced boards to examine their organizations’ business models and anticipate a disruption in advance.

Identifying new and emerging threats has always been part of a board’s oversight role, but it is now becoming a defining skill.

For businesses facing disruption, it’s how we deliver the numbers, how do we reinvent the business, while at the same time worrying about governance and the environment.

Covid-19 got directors to rethink what risk management looks like when all the tools you’ve relied on to operate the business are gone.

Directors should become comfortable with talking about risk more regularly.

Each danger needs to have significance. Additionally, it needs to result in the creation of a risk management strategy that includes measurable actions.

The new types of risk that arise when a catastrophic series of events alters the very nature of your business have required us to become very adept at understanding them.

The need for a more active board

Today, board members must have a far better understanding of business operations and competitors than ever before.

Boards must function within a more agile framework as long term plan cycles fade into history.

Our experience working with some of the most agile businesses and top Sri Lankan corporations taught us that for a company to grow rapidly, boards need to be more involved, more inquisitive, better understand the business, and ask better questions in the boardroom keeping innovation and strategic expansion in the foreforent of discussions.

Characteristics of a leader that can advance their businesses

Every board must find the correct balance between the practical (legal requirements and regulations, audit, financials, and the risk register) and the strategic (questions of where we want to be in five, ten, and fifteen years) components with an innovative and imaginative mindset.

The pursuit of advancement is important for top leaders in any business organization, and the traditional, finance-centered way of thinking needs to change.

To advocate for significant changes, one must be a unique board-level individual, but these individuals deserve praise.

Share on Facebook