Thomas Lawson gave a presentation on how to bring out the best in an organization's board. He discussed his experience transforming Leap's board from 2010 to 2016 through focusing on the CEO-chair relationship, engaging trustees in operational work, adding service users as trustees, establishing an impact subcommittee, and providing excellent board materials and meeting design. He offered tips like becoming a trustee elsewhere, finding real roles for trustees outside meetings, and having high standards for recruitment and performance of all trustees.

1. Drinks
sponsors:
A CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S GUIDE
TO BRINGING THE BEST OUT
OF YOUR BOARD
CHAIR:
EMMA HERBERT
ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT, NCVO
SPEAKER:
IAN JOSEPH
MANAGING DIRECTOR, RUSSAM GMS
AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE,TRUSTEES
UNLIMITED
THOMAS LAWSON,
CHIEF EXECUTIVE, LEAP
CONFRONTING CONFLICT
Partner sponsor:
Media partner:

2. ON YOUR TABLES
• Your name
• Your organisation and role
• Your interest in this session – why you are
here

3. IAN JOSEPH
MANAGING DIRECTOR,
RUSSAM GMS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE,
TRUSTEES UNLIMITED
Drinks
sponsors:
Partner sponsor:
Media partner:

4. A CEO’S GUIDE TO BRINGING
THE BEST OUT OF YOUR BOARD
@THOMASJLAWSON

5. Leap, an introduction
• Leap gives young people the skills
to manage conflict in their own
lives, reduce violence in their
communities and help lead society
• Why conflict management?
• Core principles to the work

6. What I’ll cover: 1. My experience
2. CEO and chair relationship
3. Depth of engagement in the
work
4. Diversity, skills audit,
recruitment
5. Impact sub-committee, not
delivery sub-committee
6. Board papers and meeting
design

7. Board development, 2010 to 2016

8. How did we get there?

10. “I learnt how to take responsibility for my
actions and how to recognise the patterns of
behaviour that I often got stuck in. I’ve now
rebuilt my relationships and I use what I learnt
on a daily basis in my role at Old Mutual
Global Investors”.
Aaron Jean-Baptiste, Leap graduate and TrusteeTop tips
• Become a trustee of another organisation
• Focus on the chair/ceo relationship and relationships between
trustees
• Find ways to engage and excite trustees in the work by finding real
operational roles outside meetings
• If it’s relevant get service users as trustees – with the same, clear
high-standards of recruitment and performance
• Impact Sub-committee
• Excellent servicing of the board – then you can expect high
performance of them
• No surprises, regular updates

11. Discussion and questions
Thomas Lawson
thomas.lawson@leapcc.org.uk
020 7561 3702
@thomasjlawson @leap_cc
www.leapcc.org.uk

12. PM3: A CHIEF
EXECUTIVE’S GUIDE TO
BRINGING THE BEST OUT
OF YOUR BOARD
EMMA HERBERT:
EMMA.HERBERT@NCVO.ORG.UK
IAN JOSEPH: IAN.JOSEPH@TRUSTEES-
UNLIMITED.CO.UK
THOMAS LAWSON:
THOMAS.LAWSON@LEAPCC.ORG.UK
Drinks
sponsors:
Partner sponsor:
Media partner: