A 2 hour interactive session for the IoD Masterclass at New Delhi.

1. Boardroom Leadership
Translating Strategy Into Effective
Action

2. Boardroom Leadership
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Corporate Governance
Conformance Processes Performance Processes
•Financial & Business Health
•Compliances
•Financial & Fiscal
•Secretarial/Co.Law
•etc
•Board Committees
•Audit
•Remuneration
•Risk audits
•CSR
•Shareholders’ Cell
•Strategic Planning & Alignment
•Strategic Decision making
•Strategic Risk Management
•Performance Monitoring & Mgt.
•Scorecards etc
•Dashboards
•Treasury and Investment Decisions
•Continuous Improvement
Value Creation
Resource Optimization
Accountability & Fiduciary
Responsibility
•Chairman
•Board of Directors (Executive & Independent)
•CEO
•Co. Secy. / CFO

3. Board : Manages Backwards, Leads Forward
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Fiduciary Strategic
Key Question “Are We Doing Anything
Wrong?”
“Are We Doing Things
Right…Are we cutting paths
right?
“What’s The Plan to Use Our
Resources Effectively?”
“Are We Doing the Right
Things…Is it the Right Jungle?”
Board Focus Review Compliance
Mitigate Risks
Review Performance
Shape Strategy
Plan for risks
Give Direction and Guidance
Board Process Parliamentary & Regulatory
Procedure (Rule Bound)
Logical and Empirical
Discussion, Challenge
Problems Are to Be Spotted & managed Anticipated & solved
Decision Making Rule bound resolution Consensual, forward thinking
Board Sees Its Role
As
Oversight and Authority Strategist, visionary
Performance Metrics Facts, figures, finances, reports,
dashboards, scorecards, LAG
Indicators
Strategic Indicators,
Competitive Analysis, LEAD
Indicators

4. Boardroom Leadership
Translating Strategy Into Effective
Action

5. 5
Strategy to Execution – The Basics

6. 6
Strategy to Execution – The Basics

7. • Design & Definition of the Company’s Strategy for
the next 5-10 years
– Vision & Mission Statements
• Planning to Achieve the Strategy
– Breaking Strategic Plans to Component Elements
– Identifying keystone elements
– Defining THE tasks and actions that will ensure these are
achieved
– Assigning these to appropriate roleholders to achieve
– Monitoring the execution of the tasks
• Monitoring the Plan & Current Execution against
changed risk profiles, environmental / regulatory
conditions and “modifying on the fly”
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Strategy to Execution – The Basics

8. Strategy to Execution – Board’s Involvement
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Where do we want to go : Board’s Call to Action, in
close concert with Executive Team
Board
Involvement High
Board Involvement
Medium : Review of Plans
and Goals
Board Involvement Low :
Guidance & Support

9. Strategy to Execution – Board’s Involvement
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• Design & Definition: Vision & Mission
– Through participation in debate and brainstorming
– Providing SME
– Providing guidance and direction from experience
and expertise
INVOLVED PARTICIPATION
Will also help in developing a shared vision, rather than an
imposed one

10. • Planning
– Requires detailed analysis, market understanding,
competitor tracking etc
– Board participation can interfere in the process
– This is an Executive responsibility, best left to CEO &
team
BOARD’S ROLE CAN BE HANDS-OFF AND MINIMAL AT
THE PLANNING STAGE
BOARD CAN CONTRIBUTE BEST BY A ROBUST REVIEW
PROCESS
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Strategy to Execution – Board’s Involvement

11. Strategy Review
• How well versed is each business unit about the
competition?
• How strong is the organizational capability to
Execute the Strategy
• Is the plan sharply focused, or is it scattered?
• Are we choosing the right ideas
• Are the linkages with people and operations
clear?
• How will the plan be followed through?
Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy in “Execution” The Discipline of Getting Things Done
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12. • Monitoring and Ongoing Validation
– Regular oversight through normal board
mechanisms, such as review of lag/historical data
analysis such as financial reports, business growth
etc
– Combined with understanding and analysis of lead
indicators, market and environmental indicators etc
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Strategy to Execution – Board’s Involvement

13. • Translating strategy to effective action requires the board to :
– Help create the vision and mission and share it
– Respond to executive strategy planning through rigorous debate
• The board reviews and challenges
• Brings fresh perspective but does not originate the plans
– Monitor the implementation of the strategy through oversight to
the operational plans
• The Board can’t, and shouldn’t, micro-manage
– Look forward into the future and help the executive team to
manage and mitigate risks
• Provide the vision , inspiration and motivation
– Ensure that guidance and direction are provided when required
• Act as the elder statesman/guru and coach to the Executive
– Maintain a governance framework that adds value to the business
• Ensure that the company and its shareholder’s and all stakeholders’
interests are looked after, in conformance to all statutory norms to
ensure continuity, sustainability and predictability of the business
and also ensuring that you ……..
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To Sum Up

14. Don’t Switch Off
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15. Finally, What Does the Executive Team Have to Say?
• This is what CEOs Would Like to See From
Directors:
– Constructively Challenge Strategy
– Don’t Shun Risk or See It in Personal Terms
– Do the Homework, and Stay Consistently Plugged In
– Bring Character and Credentials, Not Celebrity, to
the Table
Study Conducted by Harvard Business Review and Russell Reynolds
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16. THANK YOU
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