Building Trust Between CEO and Chair
A coaching reflection.
Names and identifying details have been changed to protect confidentiality.
Foundation
In my Board coaching work, I often see how the relationship between a CEO and the Board Chair shapes the dynamics of the whole organisation. When that relationship is healthy and built on trust, it becomes a partnership that enables clarity and courage to try new things. When it’s tentative or transactional, confidence, communication, and organisational growth are impacted.
Challenge
Recently, I worked with a CEO navigating this vital relationship. A colleague had advised her to “be careful what you tell the Chair”, a comment that struck a chord. While discretion is important, holding back too much or being deceptive can create distance where trust could be built.
My Role
In our coaching sessions, we explored what openness might look like in practice. We imagined different scenarios, what she might share, how to frame it, and what she hoped to achieve through greater transparency. Together, we examined what she wanted from her Chair, not just accountability, but partnership, support, and shared purpose.
Transformation
Through this process, she began to see how role-modelling trust could invite her Chair to have more confidence in her leadership and decision-making. It wasn’t about over-sharing or being naïve, it was about communicating intentionally and inviting collaboration rather than control. it becomes a partnership that enables clarity and courage to try new things. When it’s tentative or transactional, confidence, communication, and organisational growth are impacted.
Outcome
The coaching provided a confidential, reflective space to test ideas, imagine outcomes, and think strategically about relationships that shape leadership. When leaders take time to reflect in this way, they often rediscover not just new strategies, but new ways of being, more open, more connected, and more aligned with the leader they aspire to be. If you’d like to explore how coaching can strengthen your leadership relationships — with your Chair, your team, or yourself — I’d be glad to have a conversation. It starts with a question: What might be possible if trust led the way?