We do a lot of reading and research, so you don’t have to. And like you, we spend lots of time on planes – a time to catch up on reading and reflect.

Ludwig, Walton and Beer ask in their research : “Are you a CEO with a higher ambition? Are you and your company driven by a sense of purpose to build an organization that succeeds over multiple generations by earning the commitment and trust of your primary stakeholders?”

In their recently published working paper Higher-Ambition CEOs Need Higher-Ambition Boards (Harvard Business School, December 2014/working paper 15-052) the authors suggest that Higher Ambition Boards could contribute by:

– “Embracing the strategy and exercising stewardship

– Sustaining and measuring performance of a community/culture of purpose

– Overseeing CEO succession and ensuring the next generation of leaders has the will and skill to become higher‐ambition leaders

– Engaging in board development, from membership selection to board self-evaluation, that aligns the board with the company’s higher‐ambition purpose”

And the authors noted their surprise that that “even the most advanced Higher Ambition boards, with a few exceptions, have never had an explicit group discussion of Higher Ambition purpose and values and its implications for the board’s role and practices.”

We look forward to learning more as they continue to expand their research to tackle today’s board realities beyond good governance and compliance.

Do you have a High-Ambition Board?