‘Boards’ – only a six-letter word but a massive subject and one on which much has been written. So, why bother producing something else? After all, few board members are short of reading material.

Simple really. I kept getting asked for recommendations for an accessible book on boards and despite their wide-ranging backgrounds, what people wanted sounded similar. It was as much about behaviours, making decisions and managing conflict and tricky situations as it was about best practice or director’s duties. After failing to find something that fitted the brief, I decided to have a go myself.

The four sections ‘Purpose’, ‘People, ‘Process’ and ‘Dilemmas I hope together will prove a useful companion, whether you are travelling through the various stages of board life or simply just interacting with boards.

‘Dilemmas’, about half of the book, was the most fun to write. Containing 13 real life situations, from a variety of sectors and sizes of organisation, each has a range of tricky decisions lurking within. Overall there are well over 100 dilemmas to think through.

‘Purpose’ covers the essentials including what’s the point of a board and the various roles as well as the importance of alignment and context and how the Board and the executive interact.

Brilliantly conceived visions and strategies turn to dust if you don’t have the right people working together in the right way. So, ‘People’ considers a range of things from picking good board members, power and influence, managing conflicts and even removing people.

Boards need good plumbing so ‘Process’ covers all the stuff from agendas and board papers to managing meetings, making decisions and involving the right people in the right way.

Writing the book has been hugely fulfilling, especially the research. Initial reactions have been fascinating. ‘Where’s the chapter on winging it!’ being a favourite.  Part of the point of the book is helping you not to have to.