Why the CEO Shouldn’t Also Be the Board Chair

The second reason I think it’s a bad idea is because the CEO ultimately does not have that many jobs, but I think culture is among them. And it ought not be delegated. Briefly speaking, I think there are five top responsibilities of a CEO: being the steward of and final arbiter of the senior management; being the chief strategist; being the primary

... See more

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

Of course, board members aren’t running the company day-to-day. The CEO needs to gather their own data and reach an independent conclusion. Board members might overestimate early successes in a way that founders won’t. Or, Schlosser notes, when things are going badly, “the board may overshoot quickly and cut quickly or move people out quickly.” Ide

... See more