How does a CIO get the attention and time of individual board members? For directors who are executives from her own company, the face time happens in monthly IT Steering Committee meetings they attend. For board members from outside the company, Rucker first watched for their particular interests during board meetings, then followed up with them to establish a rapport around those topics. She also leveraged third-parties. "I was able to hook in to another member of the executive team that I had an existing friendship with and use them as a super-connector for the other board member," she says.
David Webb, formerly CIO, now chief operations officer at financial services company SVB Financial Group, also feels strongly that engaging the board isn't just a quarterly, formal interaction. "You need to want more interaction and find ways to do so. If you don't, you won't build that relationship," he says. Webb finds that as long as he has a reason to meet and use their time wisely, access to board members becomes easier over time. "The first call is always the hardest. If you have difficulty making a cold call, have the CEO clear the path for you," he recommends.
Get feedback from your board buddy
Twila Day, CIO at food manufacturer SYSCO, has developed a sounding board within the board. She pings a couple of select board members prior to her presentations (which occur two-to-three times per year) to give them a preview of what she is going to share. This engagement method started when Day went to meet one-on-one with a new board member that had a strong technology background. When a second member was appointed with similar technology experience, Day asked if she could send both of them her presentations ahead of time for their input. This peer review helps Day make sure her message is getting across in the right way, gives her some fresh ideas from technology-experienced board members, and helps to avoid last-minute surprises during the actual presentation.
Get organized
O'Hare's primary objective in a board presentation is to get across the right message to each board member. "I typically provide them with enough information to guide them to the conclusion that I want, but I don't tell them my opinion right away," says O'Hare. He has found that buy-in is usually stronger when members feel that they have actively contributed to developing the solution. O'Hare organizes his slides using the SOAE model (Situation -- Opportunity -- Action -- Expected Results) and never arrives at the board meeting without having multiple solutions to a stated issue or problem in his back pocket. "This way I can demonstrate that an objective and thoughtful approach was used in resolving the problem," he explains. "I've also found that having different ways to solve a problem is a good way to prepare for the eventual questions that will come from the board."
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