The invisible chair: Wayne Boyd on a life in governance
A Distinguished Fellow of the IoD, Wayne Boyd has been deeply influential in New Zealand’s governance culture.
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When Sport Otago were looking for a new CEO, board chair Jeff Broughton CMInstD knew help and advice was only a phone call away. Two of the group in the ‘horizontal governance’ project had just been through the process.
“We could share job descriptions, talk about the recruitment process and salary expectations. It was just massive,” he says. “I really value those connections. On many occasions when I’ve had an issue I’ve just picked up the phone and said, ‘Hey, we’re dealing with this at the moment, have you been through it before?’
“These are trusted relationships and we can speak in confidence – being able to learn from what others have done in that situation, what worked well for them, what mistakes they have made and what they would do differently next time.”
Broughton says he had also leaned on project leader Martin Snedden for advice in specific situations and praised the leadership and “overarching” support from Sport New Zealand.
“There’s an absolute want from chairs to connect and collaborate. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, but for many it is, like me, their first substantial chair role. As a chair, especially of a not-for-profit organisation, we don’t necessarily have all the resources, and often have to roll up our sleeves and use our skills to support the board and management. Being able to come together, connect and collaborate, share resources and build those networks is highly valuable.”
Broughton, an accountant by trade but now working as a strategic business advisor, estimates that 80 per cent of the issues across Regional Sports Trusts and National Sports Associations are “pretty similar so it makes sense to leverage that”.
“The challenge going forward is trying to keep the momentum. There is a reasonably high turnover of chairs, so we’ve always got new people coming through. The majority of chairs are in a voluntary capacity so it is critical to keep the content meaningful and relevant.”
He hopes the impact of the project will help lift the standard of governance in the sector and ultimately the outcomes their organisations are providing to their communities.
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