ABSTRACT
As a general rule, boards are comprised of men and women who either are currently, or who have a record of being, successful in their chosen careers. Some have achieved this in their professional field of accounting, law, engineering and the like, while others have achieved success through their journey up organisational ladders. By definition, these people are used to having power and to exercising their authority. They are, in the main, respected by both their peers and the community in general. In some instances they have previously been the CEO of the organisation of which they are now a director. Yet, because only one of their number can be the chair, this can create the temptation for at least some of the directors to focus more on their area of speciality and how this impacts on organisational performance rather than implementing their more comprehensive role in relation to the governance of the organisation overall.
