There are sometimes lessons that boards can take from the most unexpected places. Take sport, and the unpredictable storylines of the Ryder Cup, the biennual men’s golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, as a case in point. The 2018 edition was played in late September at Le Golf National, Paris, France, and was, on paper, the American’s for the taking. The US team of 12 players had 31 major championship wins between them compared to Europe’s lowly eight. It comprised 11 of the top 20 players in the world rankings. Europe only had six. However, over the three days of competition, it was the Europeans that prevailed, thrashing the American’s 17½ to 10½. The US team that was as good, by most estimations, as any they had sent overseas, lost by the third-biggest defeat in the competition’s history. Two of their star players, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, who had 19 major championships and 20 Ryder Cup appearances between them, could not even win a single match of the six they played. ‘On paper’ didn’t seem to matter very much.
But if the selection of the individuals on the team sheet wasn’t predictive of the outcome, then what was? Perhaps two things. Firstly, the hosts had played a cumulative 232 rounds of competition golf on the fairways of Le Golf National. The US team as a whole had played it just eight times (half of them by Justin Thomas who won four points from five). More than a glittering track-record and current form, the European team had each come furnished with the specific skills needed to perform under those unique course conditions. And secondly, and perhaps most importantly, they turned up as a team. This was no more epitomized by what was described by Europe’s Rory McIlroy, as the ‘love-in’ on the team’s WhatsApp group, even though some of the players didn’t even use it before the week began, ‘That was a big part of it,’ said McIlroy afterwards. ‘People questioned the picks and quality and we showed this week our cohesiveness and togetherness.’
The United States team were less cohesive. Commenting on his captain’s selection during the weekend, America’s world 15thranked Patrick Reed complained ‘for somebody as successful in the Ryder Cup as I am, I don’t think it’s smart to sit me (out) twice’. However, his reflections to the New York Times after the event contained greater insight, ‘Every day (in the team room) I saw: Leave your egos at the door. They (the Europeans) do that better than us.’
And so it is with boards. On paper their structures might comply with all the latest governance regulations and their director membership might tick all the boxes in terms of previous experience and purported expertise. However, this same board may be rotten to the core. The gap between the potential quality of dialogue and decision-making dynamics and their actual group performance may be significant.
(Excerpt taken from my latest book - 'Boardroom Dynamics', released in July 2019 by ICSA Publishing).
But if the selection of the individuals on the team sheet wasn’t predictive of the outcome, then what was? Perhaps two things. Firstly, the hosts had played a cumulative 232 rounds of competition golf on the fairways of Le Golf National. The US team as a whole had played it just eight times (half of them by Justin Thomas who won four points from five). More than a glittering track-record and current form, the European team had each come furnished with the specific skills needed to perform under those unique course conditions. And secondly, and perhaps most importantly, they turned up as a team. This was no more epitomized by what was described by Europe’s Rory McIlroy, as the ‘love-in’ on the team’s WhatsApp group, even though some of the players didn’t even use it before the week began, ‘That was a big part of it,’ said McIlroy afterwards. ‘People questioned the picks and quality and we showed this week our cohesiveness and togetherness.’
The United States team were less cohesive. Commenting on his captain’s selection during the weekend, America’s world 15thranked Patrick Reed complained ‘for somebody as successful in the Ryder Cup as I am, I don’t think it’s smart to sit me (out) twice’. However, his reflections to the New York Times after the event contained greater insight, ‘Every day (in the team room) I saw: Leave your egos at the door. They (the Europeans) do that better than us.’
And so it is with boards. On paper their structures might comply with all the latest governance regulations and their director membership might tick all the boxes in terms of previous experience and purported expertise. However, this same board may be rotten to the core. The gap between the potential quality of dialogue and decision-making dynamics and their actual group performance may be significant.
(Excerpt taken from my latest book - 'Boardroom Dynamics', released in July 2019 by ICSA Publishing).