Member Article

Ego in the boardroom

The Apprentice has a lot to answer for. All of those childish spats in Sir Alan’s boardroom make excellent TV - but they also happen to be a long way from real life.

While a lot less likely to win a BAFTA, most of the board meetings I’ve attended have tended to be a heck of a lot more productive, and certainly a lot more collaborative. Frankly, most boards don’t have time for that level of posturing or chest-beating.

Realism has nothing to do with Reality TV

One reason for this is that a lot of the rampaging egos you see on TV are the product on their environment - a petri dish of raw ambition, TV producer cunning and deft editing. The reality is that most people realise constant conflict is unproductive: collaboration and mutual support almost always wins out. It might take a single flash of inspiration to create a winning idea, but it is almost inevitably a team that turns that idea into something that actually works. In my experience, the most productive, fulfilling and satisfying boards of directors to work on and with are those that somehow manage to combine a collection of towering egos backed up with the skills and experience to justify them, all working together towards a common goal.

Ego is a good thing

It is almost inevitable that a company’s board will consist of people with strong opinions and strong personalities, and it’s a good thing. Boards should consist of passionate, skilled people who believe strongly in doing the right thing for the business they’re representing. Hopefully, this opinionated body should also have the wisdom and self-awareness to set aside ego in the name of productivity - and if this does not take place on a regular basis, then there will be trouble. At the heart of any happy, productive board is often a single voice - hopefully that of the chairwoman or -man - mediating and guiding. This person almost always has to have a particularly sensitive understanding of the different talents of each member of the board, the ability to channel them productively into forward movement and coherent direction. Get this mix right, and the combination can be a tonic for your business. Don’t be afraid to bring a bit (or a lot) of egos onto your board - but be prepared to work out how to harness that raw power to drive your company.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jayne Archbold .