10 essential questions to ask a prospective board member

What kind of questions do you need to ask your potential new board recruits? Here are 10 questions you can (and should) ask every prospective board members in order to build a high-performance board that is fit for your future, and the world’s.

"Can somebody stop saying diversity, disruption, cyber, blockchain, crypto and climate risk? It's doing my head in?"

These are the words of those boardrooms stuck in the 1980s and while many were born before that (oops, so was I), it's time we understood what director mindsets we really need for high-performing cultures and the Future of the Boardroom. With tech companies bigger than resources, local-Australian company Atlassian a global company and the likes of Uber and AirBnB household platforms, it is time boards really stood up and took notice, we need to think globally, and take risks to win.

10 questions for prospective board members in order to build a high-performance board that is fit for your future, and the world’s.

1. What do you see as the disruptive forces impacting this company/organisation, and how do you stay relevant as a director?
2. What experiences have given you a global perspective and where do you have international reach?
3. What are the major risks for tomorrow's boards and how do you equip yourself to be across these risks?
4. What makes our purpose or mission meaningful to you and how will your values align with the company's shared values?
5. What are your relevant prior leadership experiences where you've moved the dial, shifted mindsets and ultimately, influenced decisions?
6. What skills, connections, resources, and expertise do you have to offer to navigate this organisation through these rapidly changing times?
7. What are your concerns about joining the board or threats you see coming for the directors to see as issues to be considered?
8. Do you have personal aspirations or perceived conflicts of interest that could be impacted by board service?
9. How important is socially interacting with other members to harness team dynamics for the board? (As one of Australia’s most respected directors, Diane Smith-Gander, will say, she wishes she knew day 1 on her first board, that the board needs to operate as a team to be most effective).
10. What motivates you? (In this question, you want to see their focus towards stewardship of the organisation and what is in the best interests of stakeholders, not themselves. While we need determined and ambitious leaders, in the context of directors, you want to understand they have the business interests as priority number one, not their ego.)

What should the interviewer know?

As you interview potential board members, you'll need to understand the major risks and opportunities of your organisation. You'll need to be able to see that they demonstrate a strong grasp of what the risks are today and what lies ahead. Don’t be tempted to downplay your expectations to recruit a non-committal “big name” board member, really probe into their motivations and identify their level of commitment, availability and capacity to deliver.

When recruiting directors for boards or helping boards construct a Skills Matrix we apply a values & character first approach, with skills, knowledge and experience second.

So, I invite you to make sure culture is imperative in your selection and to stay ahead of the game. Identify the innovation and disruptive futures thinkers who are going to see the blind spots that nobody is thinking about. Because with disruption, it is not about managing risk through the rearview mirror but about taking risks through the front windscreen.