**Business Book Awards 2024 Finalist**

An accessible guide to the business of being a board director, through the lens of 18 crucial conversations.

• How do you understand what is really going on in an organisation, so you can exercise the oversight that is required from you?
• How do you overcome the information asymmetry problem, where the executive directors know more about the operation than you do?
• How will you collaborate as a board to set the right strategic direction in a context that changes constantly?
• How will you see the organisation through the eyes of your advisors, your employees and your key stakeholders?
• How can you manage the risks you know about as well as the ones you don’t?

Your best tool for all of this is conversation – about the right topics, with the right people, at the right time. This book shows you what these conversations need to cover and how to make them count. Whether you are a new director of a PLC, a long-standing Trustee of a charity, or a governor of an educational institution, this book will help you and your colleagues become the board your organisation needs.

‘…dense with information, the book breaks down complex board governance into actionable conversations across stakeholders that any director, trustee, or governor should have in their toolkit to ensure their board achieves oversight goals. For board members seeking to uplevel their governance conversations, this is a must-read playbook.’– NetGalley

…an invaluable guide that offers a refreshing perspective on the complex world of board directorship. As a new member of a Board of Managers, I am eager to learn more about my role and responsibilities, and this book provides a comprehensive and accessible roadmap for directors facing a variety of challenges…They stress the importance of having the right conversations with the right people at the right time, making this book an essential resource for anyone seeking to navigate the complexities of board governance. – NetGalley

This book is really valuable for anyone who holds any form of non executive board role or is considering taking on a non executive role. It really helped me think through the questions I need to ask. – Amazon

This is the book which I wish I had read at the start of my NED career – however, even after some years in the role, it has given me a huge amount of valuable advice and guidance, which I will definitely make use of in my current positions. Board Talk is a highly readable book, which provides an engaging and relevant approach to the way Board members can be most effective in their role and bring real value to their Boards. In many Board meetings, there is often a limited time for each NED to make a contribution; the advice in this book will help to ensure that all interactions, both in and out of formal meetings, can be as meaningful and relevant as possible. I thoroughly recommend it, whether you are a new or experienced Board member. Mary Champion, Portfolio Non-Executive Director and Board member

A wise, accessible and energising book and an invaluable handbook for Board chairs and members at all levels, and those aspiring to Board roles. Dame Shan Morgan, NHS Foundation Trust Chair

This book shines a light on what actually happens in a boardroom – not just the formal processes of corporate governance, but how board members interact, what they need to know and how they can make effective contributions. Essential reading for anyone on a board, or who would like to step up to the board. Colin Skellett, Group Chief Executive, Wessex Water

This is an authoritative, accessible and practical book which will help board members get beneath the governance codes to see and understand what’s really going on in their boardroom. Underpinned by a well-researched evidence base and a wealth of experience, the book covers the key conversations which boards must have to be effective. Alison Johns, Chief Executive, Advance HE

This is a very valuable book with practical tools to both help individual board members and boards prompt challenging topic conversations, and rise to the growing challenges on organisations in a new era where purpose, sustainability and inclusion need to be central. Bevis Watts, Chief Executive Officer, Triodos Bank

This is the book I would most like to give – not just to experienced and aspiring independent directors but to executive board members also. The book provides assurance that the skills required to work on a Board can be learnt. By building core capabilities and learning how to deploy those wisely you can find your voice, be heard in a way that is true to who you are and be effective. So, I found the book wonderfully practical, refreshingly clear and straightforward and just helpful. I would have liked someone to have given my younger self something like this with encouragement to practise! Like any muscle, it gets stronger the more you use it. That said, it also made me think about how I behave currently so that we can all learn something new. Tracey Killen – Former John Lewis Partnership Main Board Director and portfolio Non-executive director.

This book will be a great source of insight for those taking on board positions or aspiring to do so. I wish it had been available to me at that point in my career – it would have saved a lot of learning on the job. Mike Cartwright, Portfolio Finance Director and CFO

In my experience, Boards work best when members of the Board can communicate clearly with each other. It is all too easy to become buried under mountains of papers, presentations, accounts, risks registers and performance charts. All of these things are necessary but the real power of a Board is when we can talk and engage executives and non-executives together. Each brings a different perspective through their own knowledge and skills. Our best Boards are inclusive and diverse. They are open, transparent and courageous. To be that and deliver that, we need to have conversations which seek to clarify, challenge, support and inspire. This book sets out the journeys Boards need to be on. The authors take us through 18 conversations which populate what makes a great Board. Professor Steven West CBE, DL, FRCPodM, FRSM,FRSA, honMFPH Vice-Chancellor, University of the West of England.

Board Talk is an indispensable guide for board members seeking to navigate today’s complexity and constant change. With its comprehensive coverage of 18 crucial conversations, this book equips readers with the tools to foster effective dialogue inside and outside the boardroom. The authors’ expertise shines through as they address key topics such as strategy, accountability, and working relationships. Whether you’re a seasoned board member or aspiring to join a board, this book offers invaluable insights and practical advice. Berrak Banu Kurt – SVP and Head of People and Culture, Volvo Group

Essential reading for NED’s who want to thrive in the boardroom. This book combines practical, easy-to-read guidance with robust models and techniques. It is not just the book I wish I’d had when I started my non-executive career, it’s also the book I’ll return to again and again. Susan Young, Non-Executive Director and executive coach.

This book is a refreshing look at the importance of communication in making Boards truly effective. As an experienced non-executive director, I found some new perspectives to develop my practice. Gail Bragg, Portfolio Non-Executive Director

Preface: Why you need this book and how to use it

Introduction: The conversation ‘kitbag’

Conversations… As a board member

1 …About joining: Understanding the role of a board member

2 …About the board :Exploring the role of this board

3 …About chairing: Conversations that matter to all board members

4 …With board members: Sense-checking conversations

To support and challenge

5 …About the organization: Talking about purpose, mission, vision and values

6 …About strategy: Turning central ideas into action

7 …About the future: Talking about what’s over the horizon

8 …About holding to account: Creating a culture of accountability

9 …About people and reward: Development, succession and remuneration

10 …About effectiveness: Talking about board performance In working relationships

11 …With the CEO: Coaching, confiding, challenging

12 …With staff: Talking and listening to those who work here

13 …With stakeholders: Developing a stakeholder mindset

14 …With regulators: Understanding the relationship

15 …With advisors: Finding the support the board needs

About key exposures

16 …About ethics: A new boardroom focus

17 …About risk: Preventing board blindness

18 …About a crisis: When things go wrong

Final words

Conversations with yourself: Reflecting as a professional practice

List of figures

List of tables

Appendix: Sources of useful information

Notes

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

Index

About the authors

FORMAT / ISBN / PUBLICATION DATE / RRP

Hardback / 9781788605571 / October 31, 2023 / £29.99

Paperback / 9781788604147 / October 31, 2023 / £19.99

Ebook / 9781788604161 / October 30, 2023 / £9.99

Paperback and eBook Bundle / £22.49

Kathryn Bishop

Kathryn Bishop CBE FRSA is a director, NED, educator and consultant who has worked with teams in the public, private and voluntary sectors to get difficult things done. She has led organizational change, implemented new systems and processes and responded to crises. As an Associate Fellow at the Said Business School at the University of Oxford, she has worked with leaders from across the world to help them to address the challenges they face.

Kathryn’s previous books include Make Your Own Map: career success strategies for women (2021), and the award-winning Board Talk: 18 crucial conversations that count inside and outside the boardroom (2023). She has also written articles for a wide range of publications, as well as a prize-winning case study for business schools. Her website is Kathryn-bishop.com and her Wikipedia page is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathryn_Bishop.

Gillian Camm

Gillian runs her own executive coaching and consultancy business, drawing on her extensive experience on boards in the private and public sector, including roles as the senior independent director at Wessex Water, a member the General Medical Council (GMC) and as the first lay chair of the Fitness to Practise Committee. She has also served as Chair of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and as Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of the West of England. In these roles, she has been actively involved in working with investors, regulators, and consumer groups, and in reviewing and re-developing systems of governance. For example, she led a review of governance of the GMC following the Shipman Inquiry and of university governance in Wales culminating in the publication of the Camm Review in 2019. She has also written for the Journal of General Management and The Financial Times