From member to chair
Being an effective board member and chairing.
- Level
- Bitesize
- Learning time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Where
- Women on Boards
- Price
- £39
When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Read the full terms
Certificate of Completion
Overview and Outcomes.
Overview
This module explores how to move from appointed to influential: your first hundred days, the balance between challenge and support, and independence as a habit rather than a category, drawing on the Higgs Review. It examines building influence as one of few women, including amplification, then Irving Janis's groupthink and the Theranos board, and closes with a practical routine for managing conflicts of interest. This module examines why so few chairs are women and what it takes to lead a board well. Using the FTSE Women Leaders Review 2026, it looks at the pipeline to the chair, the chair's four-part role and the chair and chief executive relationship, the core skills of chairing and the board evaluation cycle. It covers open routes to the chair, Hewlett's case for sponsorship and the EU Women on Boards Directive.
What you'll develop
In this Bitesize, you will develop the ability to:
- Plan your first hundred days on a board, from induction and listening to contributing early through good questions.
- Apply constructive challenge, support and practical influence techniques such as amplification, while keeping your independence as a habit.
- Recognise the signs of groupthink and weak board oversight, using Janis and the Theranos case, and use a clear routine to manage conflicts of interest.
- Explain why progress on board seats has not yet reached the chair, and set out the chair's four-part role and its relationship with the chief executive.
- Use the core skills of chairing and the board evaluation cycle to strengthen how a board works and is held to account.
The Modules.
1 hour 15 minutes of learning.
- 04Being an Effective Board MemberThis module explores how to move from appointed to influential: your first hundred days, the balance between challenge and support, and independence as a habit rather than a category, drawing on the Higgs Review. It examines building influence as one of few women, including amplification, then Irving Janis's groupthink and the Theranos board, and closes with a practical routine for managing conflicts of interest.35 min
- 05Chairing and Leading the BoardThis module examines why so few chairs are women and what it takes to lead a board well. Using the FTSE Women Leaders Review 2026, it looks at the pipeline to the chair, the chair's four-part role and the chair and chief executive relationship, the core skills of chairing and the board evaluation cycle. It covers open routes to the chair, Hewlett's case for sponsorship and the EU Women on Boards Directive.34 min
Go deeper, and pay only the difference
- You are hereBitesize, 1 hour 15 minutes, £39
- The whole topicFocus, A seat of her own, 3 hours, £69. Already own the Bitesize? You pay £30.
When you step up to a higher level, what you paid in the last 12 months for lower-level courses inside the bigger course comes off its price, in proportion to how much of each is inside it, whichever topic it's from. Courses at the same or a lower level don't give credit against each other. A Focus course or above always costs at least £15. Prices per person. Read the full terms
Also part of: Ready for the boardroom
