According to directors, the CEO report is the most important document in the board pack and it’s their go-to doc. However, most organisations struggle with it and very few get it right. 

Why? Because there are many pitfalls to avoid and it can get tricky. CEOs who are pressed for time often assume that everything the board members need can be found in the team’s documents. 

It’s also not uncommon for CEOs to believe that it’s frustrating for directors to read a document that duplicates what has already been laid out in the board pack. For these reasons, CEOs don’t always think it’s necessary to write a report. 

They think they can just verbally say what they need or provide bullet points. However, that’s not enough. When CEO reports are done well, they provide chief executives with opportunities for reflection and it allows them to tap into the expertise because it answers many questions. 

For one, CEO reports give board members insight into what’s on the CEOs’ mind, which is something the board needs to be truly effective and benefit the organisation as much as possible.