Sorry folks, you can't delegate this one. If your CEO is not interested in your development, you have a problem. If he/she is interested and attempts to go forward, he/she has a problem. The dynamic of the CEO telling the board they need to develop and how to proceed is often not a good one. Rather, in a partnership, you would evaluate what needs improvement together and then the board takes responsibility to plan and implement a plan for its development.

But, how?

Our view is that this responsibility is a fundamental one for your Chairman. Both inside and outside of meetings, your Chair is responsible for your effectiveness. The Chair should urge annual or more frequent board self-evaluations, present priorities for improvement and then work to bring the resources to bear that make it happen.

The Chair is also responsible to determine the level of satisfaction of each director and proactively take steps to assure that experienced, capable directors are retained. That usually entails improving board knowledge and performance. Productivity raises morale and retention

What can you do?

Develop policy: If you don't have a policy on board development, consider adopting one that makes clear the responsibility of the Chair in this area and the expectation that directors will participate in training as part of their responsibilities.

Organize a committee: Consider assignment of this task to a committee, but assure that as Chairman you hold the committee accountable to deliver.

Collect some data: Consider a board self-evaluation through BoardGrowth™, which will come back with a recommended action plan for your board. Short of that, have each member complete the free Director Self-Evaluation and share results with one another. Based on that dialogue, develop priorities for learning.

Gain some knowledge: Also, consult the article A Board Development Program for additional ideas on how to get started.