No exit (interview) from governance: saying thanks and learning from ex-board members

The recent review of the third sector’s Code of Good Governance recommended that the Code be updated with a second edition. One thing that the update might consider would be encouraging exit interviews when board members, trustees, governors or whatever leave a boards.

I must confess that this is not my brilliant idea. It was suggested in one of the podcasts on the On Being Board website from BoardStar. (I suspect that this practice may be commoner in the USA than the UK as I have seen reference to it on another American website.)

The case for exit interviews for departing board members is perhaps obvious. They allow the organisation to say thanks for the contribution of the individual. They give the organisation the opportunity to learn as the individual is able to highlight issues and weaknesses with greater candour than perhaps previously.

No doubt many organisations who think exit interviews are useful for staff leavers forget to have them for board members who have the task of giving the organisation its strategic direction and monitoring its performance.