written by Executive Leadership Coach & Found Nick Roud.
The relationship between the Chair and the CEO is one of the most important working partnerships in any organisation. When it works well, it creates clarity, pace, trust, and strategic discipline; when it breaks down, the effects are felt quickly across the executive team, the board, and often the wider organisation. As you read today’s article think of Simon & Garfunkel. Together they were amazing at producing some of the finest music together. To me this is what the Chair & CEO partnership should look like!
Recent governance commentary is consistent on this point: the strongest board CEO relationships are built on frequent, candid communication, clear role boundaries, well-prepared meetings, and a culture of trust and respect. McKinsey’s 2024 board research highlighted three practical enablers of stronger board CEO collaboration;
efficient board processes,
more open communication,
and a healthy board culture.
That may sound straightforward, but in practice it requires discipline, maturity, and a shared understanding of what each role is there to do.
For senior leaders, the Chair CEO relationship is not a “nice to have.” It is a core leadership asset.
Why it matters
At its best, the Chair + CEO relationship creates a high-trust environment where strategic challenge is normal, issues are surfaced early, and decisions are made with both speed and rigour. The Chair brings board discipline, external perspective, and governance oversight. The CEO brings operational reality, market insight, internal alignment, and accountability for execution. Recent governance guidance from McKinsey, KPMG, and other board advisers repeatedly emphasises that the starting point is transparent communication and a clear understanding of the boundaries between oversight and management. If I was to sit with you both and ask what are the top 3 priorities of the Board Chair and then ask what are the top 3 priorities of the CEO they should be very aligned. If the answers are different you better fix it quickly.
This matters because many leadership failures at the top are not caused by incompetence. They are caused by ambiguity: unclear expectations, weak communication, overreach by the Chair, defensiveness by the CEO, or a breakdown in trust when the organisation is under pressure. When the relationship is strong, those same tensions are managed early and constructively.
The best Chair CEO partnerships that I continue to observe are not built on friendship. They are built on mutual respect, candour, and a shared commitment to the organisation’s success.
What works in practice
The strongest Chair–CEO relationships tend to share six characteristics.
First, they have a clear division of labour. The Chair leads the board; the CEO leads the business. That sounds obvious, but many dysfunctional relationships begin when the Chair drifts into management detail or the CEO treats the board as a compliance hurdle rather than a strategic asset. Harvard style governance commentary and board practice papers continue to stress the importance of maintaining clear oversight/execution boundaries while keeping the relationship close enough to be useful.
Second, they communicate frequently and informally, not just in formal meetings. As a CEO coach I’d recommend more open communication through multiple channels and regular one-on-one check-ins between Chair and CEO. This is crucial because most serious governance issues do not arrive neatly packaged for a board agenda. They emerge gradually a market shift, a leadership gap, a stakeholder issue, a performance concern, or a reputational risk. The earlier the Chair and CEO talk, the better the organisation can respond.
Third, they prepare together. In high-functioning partnerships, the Chair and CEO align on agenda priorities before meetings, anticipate pressure points, and decide what needs board discussion, what needs escalation, and what can be resolved elsewhere. The American Hospital Association’s governance guidance on board-chair/CEO partnership makes joint preparation one of its central practices. In practical terms, this means the Chair is not surprised, and the CEO is not ambushed.
Fourth, they use the board intelligently. Rather than seeing directors as a threat, the CEO invites the board’s experience into the right conversations at the right time. That means early-stage strategy dialogue, thoughtful challenge, and access to expertise without allowing the board to micromanage operations. Recent commentary from board advisers argues that CEOs should treat the board as an asset, not a hurdle, and should be transparent about problems early rather than waiting until the issue becomes public. If you are stepping into your first CEO role take the time up front to work with closely with your Board Chair to agree rules of engagement.
Fifth, they create space for honest challenge. Trust does not mean agreeing on everything. In fact, good governance depends on the opposite the ability to disagree professionally, test assumptions, and pressure-test decisions without damaging the relationship. Strong partnerships are marked by frank conversations that stay respectful even when the message is uncomfortable.
Sixth, they keep succession and continuity in view. Boards and chairs that do this well are always thinking one step ahead what capability the organisation will need next, what the CEO must grow into, and how succession planning is being managed with realism and discretion. This protects the organisation from complacency and avoids last-minute scrambling.
In my 1:1 coaching with CEOs we spend a great deal of time in the 3Ps space’ People, Product and Profitability. We avoid excessive noise about what we cannot control and more on what we must control.
What to avoid
There are several predictable traps in Chair–CEO relationships.
Do not let the Chair become a shadow CEO. When the Chair starts giving operational direction directly to executives, bypassing the CEO, or trying to solve management problems in board meetings, confusion spreads quickly. The executive team starts receiving mixed messages, the CEO’s authority weakens, and the board begins to blur from oversight into execution. This is one of the fastest ways to erode confidence in both roles.
Do not surprise each other. Board advisers are increasingly explicit that CEOs should not let directors learn material issues through the media before hearing them internally. The same principle applies in reverse Chairs should not escalate concerns through side channels before giving the CEO a fair chance to respond. Surprise destroys trust. Early warning builds it.
Do not over-rely on formal meetings. A monthly board pack and a quarterly board meeting are not a substitute for real governance dialogue. McKinsey’s findings suggest that frequent, concise communication and informal touchpoints are essential to stronger board CEO alignment. If all the hard conversations are being deferred to the formal board setting, the relationship is already under strain. Recently I coached a CEO who connected in with his Chair daily. These conversations where imperative to the results they achieved. Each relationship must set a cadence and or rhythm that works, not a copy and paste approach.
Do not mistake politeness for alignment. Some Chair–CEO pairs appear smooth on the surface but avoid the real issues performance concerns, succession risk, people problems, or strategic disagreement. That kind of calm is fragile. It usually breaks when pressure rises.
Do not assume the relationship can run itself. Even strong Chair–CEO partnerships require active maintenance. One of the clearest themes in recent board guidance is that this relationship takes time, intentionality, and continuous communication. If it is left to chance, it usually deteriorates under stress.
Using each other’s superpowers
The best Chair–CEO partnerships I see work because each person leans into their distinct strengths.
The Chair’s superpower is governance leadership. A strong Chair brings calm judgement, board orchestration, strategic curiosity, and the ability to create the conditions for high-quality challenge. They help the board stay focused on the right questions, not just the loudest issues. They can spot patterns across stakeholders, directors, succession, culture, and risk that the CEO may be too close to see.
The CEO’s superpower is enterprise leadership. A strong CEO translates strategy into action, unites the executive team, reads the commercial environment in real time, and keeps the organisation moving. They know what is possible, what is breaking, what the market is signalling, and what the organisation can realistically absorb.
When these strengths are used well, the Chair does not compete with the CEO, and the CEO does not shut out the Chair. Instead, they create a partnership in which the Chair helps sharpen the thinking and the CEO helps ground it in operational reality.
A practical example if the organisation is considering a major strategic shift, the CEO should bring the analysis, options, risks, and trade-offs early. The Chair should help shape the quality of the board conversation, ensure the right questions are being asked, and hold the line on governance discipline. The result is better decision-making, not just faster decision-making.
This is where many top teams underuse their potential. They either become too loose, with vague roles and fuzzy accountability, or too rigid, with sterile interactions and too little honest exchange. The best relationships sit in the middle clear, candid, and genuinely collaborative.
What recent evidence is telling us
Recent board commentary has converged on a few practical lessons.
One is that communication quality matters more than communication volume. It is not enough to “keep the Chair informed.” The communication must be timely, concise, and relevant, with escalation when needed and no hidden surprises. Another is that board culture shapes relationship quality. If the board rewards performance theatre, punishes dissent, or allows ego to dominate, the Chair–CEO relationship becomes transactional and defensive rather than strategic.
A third lesson is that board leadership is increasingly expected to support, not just supervise, the CEO. That does not mean becoming soft or permissive. It means understanding that strong performance at the top depends on a healthy working relationship, disciplined process, and mutual accountability. Recent practitioner guidance also reinforces the value of structured one-on-one engagement with directors, clearer role definition, and more deliberate board evaluation practices.assets.
In other words, the best Chair–CEO partnerships are not accidental. They are designed, maintained, and adjusted.
A practical operating rhythm
For Chairs and CEOs who want to strengthen the relationship, a disciplined operating rhythm helps.
- Schedule regular one-on-ones, not only when there is a problem.
- Agree in advance how and when issues will be escalated.
- Align on the purpose of each board meeting before the papers go out.
- Keep communication direct, confidential, and factual.
- Use the Chair as a sounding board, not a surrogate management layer.
- Use the CEO as the source of operational reality, not just polished narrative.
- Revisit the relationship after major events, leadership changes, or periods of stress.
This rhythm helps both parties stay aligned without becoming over-dependent. It also creates the kind of steady, professional relationship that can absorb complexity without becoming reactive.
The leadership test
Ultimately, the Chair–CEO relationship is a leadership test for both people. The Chair must know when to challenge and when to support. The CEO must know when to be open, when to push back, and when to ask for help. Both must be able to handle tension without turning it personal. In high-performing organisations, the Chair and CEO do not compete for control of the narrative. They create alignment around the work. They understand that governance and execution are different jobs, but that the quality of the relationship between them shapes how well the organisation performs. If that relationship is built on clarity, candour, and mutual respect, it becomes a real competitive advantage. If it is not, the organisation pays the price long before the problem becomes visible to everyone else.
CEO coaching with us here is targeted, focused with relationships at the core.
Nick Roud, Founder of Nick Roud Coaching.
