Rewriting the rules of the boardroom.
Corporate boardrooms hold immense power over the direction, culture, and values of organisations.
In a world of constant change and disruption, organisations that fail to rethink and modernise their approach to board governance risk falling behind, not just in financial terms, but in relevance, resilience, and societal impact.
At 100% Human at Work, we believe this is a pivotal moment to reimagine the rules of board leadership by placing people metrics at the core of governance. This is not merely a call to be more compassionate or ethical in business, but a recognition that human-centred metrics are business critical.
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What leaders say
1. Shift the Power: Diversify Decision-Making
To become truly people-focused, boards must reconsider both the composition of their membership and their decision-making processes. Structural power imbalances must be addressed to ensure that diverse voices are not only present but also influential.
Boards need to change who makes decisions and how those decisions are made.
Six levers to drive change
2. Change the Culture: Redefine Boardroom Behaviours
Board culture shapes company culture. Boards must model key behaviours such as humility, vulnerability, and trust. Critical questions should replace routine presentations, encouraging active dialogue and transparency.
3. Measure What Matters: Create a People Dashboard
Boards cannot prioritise human-centric governance without access to robust, actionable data on people outcomes. Just as financial reports guide business strategy; people metrics should be an integral component of board reporting. Regular reviews of these metrics ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
4. Redesign Incentive Structures: Reward Human-Centric Success
Traditional executive compensation structures often emphasise short-term profitability at the expense of sustainable growth. To encourage more holistic success, organisations must rethink how they incentivise leadership.
5. Increase Proximity: Stay Connected to Employees and Stakeholders
Boards must bridge the gap between the C-suite and the workforce by ensuring that directors have direct, meaningful interactions with employees, customers, and other key stakeholders. This ensures decisions are made with a full understanding of their impact.
6. Anchors of Safety: Foster a Space for Critical Dialogue
A board that is truly human centred creates an environment where difficult conversations can take place without fear of retribution. Boards must create environments where board members and employees feel safe to challenge the status quo.
