Director & Officer Coaching
A new director or officer may know the organization well and still face unfamiliar responsibilities. What belongs to the board? What belongs to management? What information is enough to make a decision, and what deserves another question?
Robert helps directors and officers work through those questions in the context of their organization and the decisions ahead. His approach connects fiduciary duties, business objectives, and risk-based judgment to the everyday work of leadership.
The coaching
Clarify the interests you serve, the authority you hold, and your responsibilities to colleagues, management, and the organization. Understand how ownership, organizational purpose, and governance structure affect those responsibilities.
Examine the evidence behind a recommendation, surface assumptions, and ask what information is missing or would change the decision. Practice effective challenge while maintaining a productive working relationship.
Use the organization’s objectives, risk appetite, and decision guardrails to evaluate choices. Recognize where discretion is appropriate, what requires approval, and when an issue needs greater attention.
Recognize how a leader’s response to unwelcome information affects what people share next. Help people raise concerns, understand who is responsible for acting, and follow through on commitments and decisions.
Committee chairs & executive partners
Chairing a compliance, risk, audit, or other board subcommittee adds responsibilities beyond serving as a director. The chair has to focus the committee’s attention, draw out useful discussion, and ensure concerns receive follow-through. The executive who administratively supports the committee also needs a clear understanding of the committee’s role and how to support its oversight.
Work through the committee’s charter, priorities, and relationship with the full board. Prepare for meetings, frame questions, lead difficult discussions, and recognize when an issue needs escalation. Continuing partnership gives the chair someone to think with as the committee’s responsibilities develop.
Develop agendas and reporting that help the committee exercise judgment. Clarify what belongs with management, the committee, or the full board; bring forward concerns with enough context; and track decisions, commitments, and unresolved questions. Coaching can also help the executive build a productive working relationship with the chair.
Working together
Coaching can include individual onboarding, preparation for board or committee meetings, and continuing conversations around actual leadership responsibilities. Chairs and supporting executives can work with Robert individually or together.
Robert brings experience advising boards, serving in executive leadership, developing enterprise risk and compliance programs, and teaching graduate business courses. He has worked closely with physician leaders, directors, officers, and founders as they take on new responsibilities. His experience includes serving as administrative co-chair of the Enterprise Risk Management & Audit Board Committee.
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This site previews planned legal and consulting services. Visit RobertBStratton.com for Robert’s professional background, writing, and speaking.
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