Chairing the Board (Revised Edition)
By John Harper | Institute of Directors
If you’ve ever walked out of a board meeting thinking “that could have been sharper”, the revised edition of Chairing the Board will feel uncomfortably familiar — in a good way.
This isn’t theory-heavy governance waffle. It’s a practical, lived-in guide to what chairing actually looks like when the stakes are real, the personalities are strong, and the agenda is already too full.
The Chair’s Role Has Changed — and This Book Gets That
Harper is clear: today’s Chair isn’t there to dominate the room. Authority still matters, but influence matters more. The Chair’s real job is to create the conditions for the board to do its best thinking.
That means setting direction without overstepping, encouraging challenge without losing control, and knowing when to step in — and when to stay quiet. Think less command-and-control, more orchestration.
Board Effectiveness Starts (and Ends) with the Chair
One of the book’s strongest messages is also one of the most uncomfortable:
if the board isn’t effective, that’s usually a chairing issue.
The Chair owns the agenda, the flow of discussion, and the discipline of the room. Harper is refreshingly blunt — if meetings are overly operational, poorly focused, or repetitive, that’s not because directors aren’t capable. It’s because the meeting hasn’t been designed well.
Good chairing is about making sure the board spends time on what really matters, not just what’s always been on the agenda.
Relationships Are Governance — Not a “Soft” Extra
The revised edition places far more emphasis on relationships and behaviour, and rightly so. Governance failures rarely start with missing paperwork; they start with avoided conversations.
Harper explores the key relationships every Chair must actively manage — particularly with the CEO, the Senior Independent Director, the Company Secretary, and individual board members. The message is simple: ignoring tensions doesn’t make you neutral, it just stores up bigger problems later.
Keeping the Board Focused on the Future
A recurring theme is the Chair’s responsibility to stop the board drifting into permanent hindsight mode. Oversight matters, but boards earn their keep by helping organisations think ahead.
The Chair must protect time for strategy, ensure risk discussions go beyond box-ticking, and keep long-term value firmly on the table. Culture, reputation, and ESG aren’t treated as side topics — they’re part of the organisation’s ability to survive and thrive.
Renewal Is Good Governance
Harper is also clear that strong Chairs plan for change — including their own. Board composition, evaluation, and succession aren’t occasional exercises; they’re ongoing responsibilities.
Refreshing the board isn’t disloyal. Avoiding it is.
The Chair Sets the Tone — Whether They Mean To or Not
Perhaps the most important takeaway is this: the Chair’s behaviour becomes the board’s behaviour. How challenge is handled, how disagreement is managed, and how values show up in decisions all start at the top of the table.
In an environment of increasing scrutiny and expectation, that tone matters more than ever.
Why This Book Still Earns Its Place on the Desk
This is a working manual, not a bookshelf ornament. It’s particularly valuable for Chairs and aspiring Chairs in SMEs, charities, CICs, and growing organisations where governance is becoming more complex but still needs to stay practical.
If you chair — or plan to — you’ll recognise yourself in these pages. Sometimes uncomfortably. Always useful.
Want to Go Deeper?
This book is one of the core reads inside the Boardroom Book Club — where Chairs, NEDs, Directors and trustees don’t just read governance books, but apply them.
If you’d value:
- Guided discussion with experienced peers
- Practical takeaways you can use in your next board meeting
- Space to reflect on how you chair — not just what you know
👉 Join the Boardroom Book Club and bring the boardroom conversation to life.