TWO VIEWS: BOARD RECRUITMENT IN A POST IN-PERSON WORLD: Will the shift to virtual board recruitment be bad for boards? Possibly, but not for the reasons you might think.

• Author: Sanders, Nicole

Virtual recruitment is not without challenges that, left unchecked, may result in poor board choices. A virtual process potentially eliminates some of the informal interactions that can be helpful in assessing cultural fit and values alignment. Board dinners, one-on-one in-person meetings with individual directors, and informal exchanges with executives between board interviews can help add dimension to the board's understanding of each candidate and can be particularly helpful when comparisons must be made among a number of potential directors.

Technology failures may also create an uneven playing field and make it more difficult to assess and compare directors. Will you get the same sense of a candidate if his or her internet fails and the video interview becomes a conference call? Will background noise, disruptions or other distractions allow for a perfect interview environment?

Some candidates may not present as well on a video meeting as they would in person. Eye contact can be more difficult and could be misconstrued as aloofness, whether consciously or subconsciously. Candidates may struggle with things like staying focused on the camera instead of looking around the room or at their "self-view." Many of us are still learning how to find a flattering angle or to reduce distracting backgrounds and noises. Lighting and pacing of answers to questions may be an issue for the interviewee whose experience with video is limited.

Real challenges, real solutions

These challenges are real, but they are also highly addressable. Good searches are adapting quickly to help boards avoid these pitfalls. More due diligence around each candidate, for example, can replace the informal feedback of in-person meetings, perhaps in the form of more time with references and candidates' previous boards. On the flipside, candidates can be coached on presenting themselves in a virtual environment, helping them to eliminate distractions whenever possible.

Boards can also reduce risk in the process by developing a hybrid approach. While most of the initial interview process can be virtual, one-on-one in-person meetings with just the CEO and chair can be arranged for the final candidate. If proper safety protocols are followed, including choosing an appropriate venue and providing for social distancing, the final interview process could be done without exposing the candidate or your company's leaders to unnecessary risk of COVID-19 exposure.

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