Recruiters: facilitators? Or gatekeepers?

• Author: Atkins, Betsy
• Position: DIRECTOR RECRUITMENT

Recruiters definitely are an important, objective part of the nominating and governance committee process. They help craft a crisp, clear specification and skill-set profile. They have a wide network and can bring in and introduce to the board new, talented, prospective directors.

Additionally, recruiters can provide a decision framework for the nominating committee to review prospective new colleagues by defining a matrix of different skills each potential new director brings.

Alternatively, on the negative side, recruiters (unless instructed by the nominating committee) may be too fixated on quantitative skill matrix "checkboxes" and miss the true essence of what makes a great director.

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The essence of being a great director is bringing valuable business judgment to anticipate the company's future risks, and helping management balance short- and long-term goals to build a resilient enterprise for the shareholders.

Box checking of skills will capture quantifiable experiences, such as:

--financial expert for audit committee,

--diversity candidate,

--industry domain expertise,

--sitting CEO.

But a skills matrix may miss the most important aspects of understanding if a candidate can truly be valuable through his or her understanding of:

--the company's business,

--its opportunities,

--its competitive market dynamics,

--its growth challenges.

Other qualitative attributes that make for a truly high-value-add director include:

--business judgment,

--business experience to understand the issues the company...