Why the CEO Shouldn’t Also Be the Board Chair

It is invariably the case that the company is better served if the Chairman and CEO are different people. The CEO can focus on managing the company and providing information to the Board. The Chairman in his role as mentor and overseer, can advise the CEO on alternative courses of action, question missing data, probe her analysis and decisions, adv... See more

Notionally the role the CEO is to run the company the role of the Chairman is to manage the CEO and the board. However, in practice the relationship between the Chairman and CEO is so much more than that. The ideal Chairman is a mentor, coach, and critical friend. The ideal CEO is open, coachable, and responsive. The quality of their relationship c... See more

In most business books, the role of the CEO boils down to a small number of key responsibilities. The CEO:

• Sets the overall direction and strategy of the company and communicates this direction regularly to employees, customers, investors, etc.


• Hires, trains, and allocates company employees against this overall direction while maintaining company cul

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