Around the table, there will be opinions. There will be experience. There may even be agreement. But will there be the right questions?
That is a useful starting point for thinking about board capability. When a significant proposal comes forward, directors need enough understanding to explore the assumptions, recognise what is missing and judge whether the answers stand up to scrutiny!
A board skills audit creates space to consider how well equipped your board is for those conversations.
Start with the decisions ahead
Imagine an organisation preparing to expand internationally. Its board may understand the existing business exceptionally well, yet have limited experience of operating across borders. Before approving an expansion plan, what would directors need to understand? Which assumptions would they feel confident challenging? Where might they need support?
Or consider a board discussing a substantial technology investment. A persuasive presentation might explain the expected benefits clearly. The harder questions could concern implementation, dependencies and what happens if the project fails to deliver.
These examples offer a practical way into the discussion: start with the decisions your board expects to face, then consider the capabilities those decisions will demand.
Build a clearer picture of your board
A board skills audit provides a structured assessment of directors’ skills and experience. Individual self-assessments are brought together to reveal collective strengths, development needs and potential gaps.
At The Boardroom Effectiveness Company, our approach is tailored to your organisation and its objectives. Directors can contribute observations alongside their assessments, helping to give the findings context.
Make the conversation specific
The most useful discussion begins when a board explores what a finding means in practice.
If several directors identify an area as a strength, can they describe the experience behind that assessment? If confidence is lower elsewhere, what would help? A focused briefing? Time with a specialist? An opportunity to work through a realistic scenario?
It is also worth asking where knowledge is concentrated. If one director usually leads the questions on a particular subject, how confidently could the rest of the board examine a proposal in their absence?
It’s questions like these that help turn broad labels into a more informed conversation.
Use the findings to decide what happens next
The results can inform recruitment, succession planning, director development and the overall balance of the board.
An audit can stand alone or contribute to a wider board review. That broader perspective matters, as skills and experience work alongside boardroom behaviours, constructive challenge and the way directors work together.
A practical next step is to agree a small number of priorities, assign responsibility and decide when to review progress. For example, a board might arrange a development session before a forthcoming strategic decision, then review whether it helped directors scrutinise the proposal more confidently.
The value becomes visible in what the board does with the insight.
At The Boardroom Effectiveness Company, we can help you interpret your audit findings and consider the next steps for your organisation. Find out more about our Board Skills Audit and get in touch to discuss your board’s needs using the details below.
