On Board: The Insider's Guide to Surviving Life in the Boardroom

by John Tusa

Overview

“In equal parts a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of some of our best-loved institutions and a guide on how governing boards should work” - HRDirector

Throughout the world, thousands of people give their time, skill and energy to serving on a board. From local councils to international corporations – boards play a critical role in the running and success of any organisation, large and small.

In On Board John Tusa brings us behind the closed doors of the boardroom to provide an insight into the inner-working of boards. From personal squabbles to financial crises, Tusa shares his experiences serving on a wide variety of international boards such as the British Museum and American Public Radio. These lively life-stories unveil how boards overcome deep-set divisions, appoint new members and survive in times of chaos.

Through these stories, Tusa provides lessons and tips on how to effectively operate in cooperative business environments. Tusa teaches the reader how to overcome the big egos and how to work collaboratively yet effectively. On Board is not only an engaging foray into the vibrant career of John Tusa - it is also a comprehensive guide to anyone who struggles to work on boards or committees - or in any cooperative environment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472976017
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/20/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	434 KB

About the Author

Sir John Tusa is a British arts administrator, author, journalist and former presenter of BBC's Newsnight. He is the co-chairman of the European Union Youth Orchestra and was formerly the managing director of the BBC World Service and the Barbican Arts Centre.
Sir John Tusa is a British arts administrator, author, journalist and former presenter of BBC's Newsnight. He is the co-chairman of the European Union Youth Orchestra and was formerly the managing director of the BBC World Service and the Barbican Arts Centre. He is the author of On Board, Making a Noise and On Creativity.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vi

Introduction: My Long March Through the Institutions 1

1 The National Portrait Gallery: The Trustees' Rebellion (1988-2000) 5

2 My American Board: Taking Governance Seriously: The American Way (1991-1999) 27

3 English National Opera: Board Without Power (1994-2004) 55

4 The British Museum: 'A Most August and Ancient Board' (2000-2009) 91

5 The Wigmore Years: Chairmanship is Harder Than You Think (1999-2011) 131

6 University of the Arts London (UAL): Unity from Diversity (2007-2013) 155

7 Clore Leadership Programme (CLP): Shaping an Idea - Governance in a 'Start-up' (2008-2014) 181

8 Reflecting on Reflections 201

9 Fifty Things They Say about Governance 213

Sources 225

Index 227

Editorial Reviews

'On Board' is a serious story lightly told, with numerous hints and tips along the way on how boards behave and how they should. Every board member should read it... and learn.” —Joan Bakewell, broadcaster, writer and President of Birkbeck, University of London

“John Tusa is one of the bravest and most thoughtful public servants of a generation, and one of the people I admire most in British public life.” —Rory Stewart

“John Tusa deals with the great and seldom asked questions: why do chairs and chief executives not get on? Why do boards make the wrong appointments? What does a great board look like? His answers – based on huge experience – are vital reading for chairs and trustees everywhere. This is a book on an important subject full of insight and interest: essential reading!” —Lord Tony Hall of Birkenhead CBE, Chairman of the National Gallery and former Director-General of the BBC

“Part primer, part memoir, part history, laced with psychology and social anthropology, On Board is an arresting and enlightening survival guide for anyone who aspires to sit on a not-for-profit board. It makes an eloquent case for the public value of the independent and good governance of our intellectual and cultural institutions – and the inherent obstacles to achieving it.

John Tusa's case studies, from the many distinguished boards on which he has served and chaired, provide a serious and authoritative analysis of the tenets of institutional governance. This is also a riveting and, at times, excruciatingly candid account of personal learning painfully acquired in what he describes as one of “the most demanding complex and taxing activities in the world of public life”. On Board charts the perilous navigation between the Scylla and Charybdis of personal rivalries and collective prevarication on which so many boards can come to grief. Anyone who has served as a Trustee will recognise his description of boards' capacities for resilience and dysfunctionality, and, at their centre, the delicate chemistry of the CEO/Chair relationship. Anyone asked to join such a board will be well advised to learn from Tusa how codes, management theory and mission statements cannot substitute for decency, humanity and rigour, so much more difficult to achieve than to proscribe. In the end, good governance depends on good behaviour.” —Tim Gardam, Chief Executive, Nuffield Foundation, former Principal of St Anne's College Oxford and former Chair, Ofcom Content Board

“For anyone considering joining a board, especially one in the arts, this is an excellent guide for what awaits them. It gives a clear sense of how the complex issues and relationships are handled from someone who was there, and lessons in good governance have rarely been so fluently expressed. And for those interested in many leading characters of the London arts scene over the past 20 years, this is a hugely entertaining read.” —Sir Andrew Likierman, Professor and former Dean, London Business School

“With outstanding insight, John weaves his way elegantly through misunderstandings, personal ambition, indecision, and incompetence to illustrate with clarity, the consequences of flawed Chairmanship, board composition, mistaken beliefs, and finally the privilege and honour of being part of a Board that gets it right.” —Lady Alison Myners, Chair of Royal Academy Trust

“One of the truly great and good, John Tusa has led many of Britain's cultural institutions and led them brilliantly. This book explains, modestly but straight-forwardly, how he has dealt with boards of trustees as helmsman, nanny, confessor, policeman, plotter, and Scout leader. Necessary reading for anyone involved in schools, arts organisations or other non-profits.” —Richard Sennett, Chairman of Trustees, Theatrum Mundi

From the Publisher