Jenoir Client Spotlight: Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association – IC20 Online Master Class
Jenoir Client Spotlight: Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association – IC20 Online Master Class
By Dirk Schlimm
Finding and retaining a capable CEO has always been the bedrock challenge for boards; times of crisis put an even bigger premium on leadership as now is the time to accelerate changes that were overdue anyway and position the organization for the future. Some of changes may have to be a radical reorientation of the firm as pre-COVID business models are being upended in their entirety and new opportunities emerge. Devising and executing the right strategy is no longer an issue of more or less value creation, it may well be a matter of survival.
The process of repositioning with urgency will inevitably lead to tension in the boardroom. It is good to remember that conflict is actually not a negative but needed to bring necessary perspectives to the fore, help devise the best possible approach, and uncover and mitigate risks. Therefore, if managed well, difficult conversations in the boardroom will lead to healthy debate with better outcomes and stronger relationships. If managed poorly, however, crisis can deteriorate into dysfunction and even complete breakdown.
In the current COVID climate we can learn not only from business leaders and academics but also, and specifically, from public health officials as they have taken center stage in many countries. We can see conflict and debate play out in very public ways when it comes to government response to the dual challenge of public health and economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.
That’s why it was to timely to explore the topic of difficult conversations in the boardroom within a new context at Invest Canada ’20 ONLINE. I would like to thank Mia Bacic, partner at Bennett Jones for the introduction and moderation, CVCA for providing the forum and making the online format work, and Kim Furlong for providing this kind review of the session:
“When we reached out to Dirk to speak at our Invest Canada conference this year, we had originally planned for it to be in person. We had to quickly pivot to move it online, and we appreciated Dirk’s flexibility in changing the course of the session to relate to the current environment, while still providing a professional development opportunity for our attendees! Dirk was a pleasure to work with and his session was very insightful and informative, and our attendees thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you for speaking at our IC20 ONLINE conference!” – Kim Furlong, CEO, Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or position of Jenoir® International As we are critically thinking human beings, these views are always subject to change, revision, and rethinking at any time. The author(s) and Jenoir® International are not to be held responsible for misuse, reuse, recycled and cited and/or uncited copies of content within this blog by others.
This blog is designed to inform readers and stimulate discussion. It is shared with the understanding that it does not constitute legal, accounting, medical, securities or other professional advice to be relied upon. If such advice is needed, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.