Good boards don't assume they have all the answers

Michelle Urquhart MInstD

When Michelle Urquhart MInstD became Chair of Scouts Aotearoa in 2024, she spent her first year restoring the basics.

"Things had just started to drift away," she says. "I spent about a year putting some hygiene back into place." 

By the following year, governance processes were back on track, directors had settled into their roles and the board was functioning well.

Only then did the board feel ready to ask a more challenging question: how could it become even better?

Rather than relying on instinct, Scouts Aotearoa decided to undertake an independent board evaluation through the IoD.

Looking beyond problems

The objective, for Urquhart, wasn't to uncover hidden problems.

"We were keen to take the next step and continue to grow our governance skills," she says.

Wayne Church, IoD Board Evaluations Manager, says that's often the mindset of boards that gain the most from the process.

"They've got a chair who's really open to feedback and sees having an evaluation as a very positive thing," he says. "They're already reflecting on their governance practice and they're keen for the whole board to lift their game."

Of course, not every board starts from the same place. Some undertake evaluations because they're required to by their constitution or shareholders. Others know there are issues they need to address. Increasingly, though, Church sees boards using evaluations as part of their ongoing governance development rather than waiting until something goes wrong. 

Confirmation matters too

Urquhart deliberately entered the process without trying to predict the outcome.

"I was pretty confident that we had the basics right, but what I wasn't sure of was what the board members wanted to do and where they felt the next place to go was."

The results were reassuring.

"I was surprised at actually how well we were doing as a board from a governance perspective.

"The evaluation confirmed for us that we were right, that those areas identified by the evaluation were the ones we needed to focus on."

Turning recommendations into action

At its next meeting, the board spent around 45 minutes working through the findings together, agreeing priorities and discussing how they would be addressed. Those discussions are now being translated into a formal board development plan.

Education has become a central part of that work.

Each board meeting now includes a dedicated governance learning session based on the capability areas highlighted by the evaluation.

"The board felt it had a rudimentary understanding of its obligations, but not enough detailed understanding," Urquhart says.

The board invited its legal advisers to provide a detailed briefing which has been used for an education session and a more permanent resource, turning one of the evaluation's recommendations into practical learning.

Other priorities include strengthening cultural capability, improving succession planning, improving youth in governance pathways and clarifying governance roles such as the deputy chair. 

Trust first

Looking back, Urquhart believes the timing was critical.

"If I'd tried to do this when I first took over as board chair, I wouldn't have had the buy-in," she says.

"There wasn't the level of trust. There wasn't the level of team."

After a year spent strengthening governance practices and building relationships, directors were ready to have open conversations about their own performance.

"I can't think of one person who didn't fully participate."

The independence of the process also encouraged honest feedback.

"It's one way that board members can have their say safely."

Church says creating that sense of safety is one of the biggest strengths of an independent evaluation.

"It's a chance to have an open conversation," he says. "Board members can reflect on their own practice and express their views in a relatively safe way. Because responses are anonymous, issues that might otherwise stay beneath the surface often come out." 

Staying curious

Scouts Aotearoa has already incorporated the evaluation findings into its governance work programme and is considering a future governance accreditation process once its current development priorities have been embedded.

Church says the process only delivers value if boards act on what they learn.

"For the evaluation to work, it needs to be championed by someone on the board," he says. "Usually that's the chair. They encourage everyone to participate fully, be as open and honest as possible, and then commit to working through the results."

"No entity, no matter how professional or organised or skilled they are, knows everything," Urquhart says.

"As soon as an organisation thinks, 'We've got this. We're sorted. We know what we're doing,' they're in trouble." 

Wayne Church, Board Evaluations Manager, IoD

Our expertise

The IoD’s board evaluations service is facilitated by Wayne Church.

Wayne has a background in governance advice, government and education. He has advised ministers on Crown entity board appointments and performance for several government agencies. He has also supported a programme board and was elected as a member of a school board of trustees.  

Wayne works closely with boards across a range of sectors to provide advice on board evaluation options, as well as clear, practical insights and advice on their governance practices to strengthen their effectiveness. He supports boards to reflect on their work, identify strengths and areas for development, and how their governance practices compare with other boards.

To discuss your board’s evaluation needs or learn more about the IoD’s board evaluation services, please contact Wayne on 027 218 4411 or through our  board evaluations enquiry form.