Following our 2025 research, which engaged executive leaders to help answer this question, we launched a second phase of research to examine the same question from a different perspective: board chairs. Through interviews with 20 current and former board chairs from leading international NGOs and civil society organisations, we explored what helps chief executives thrive and what causes them to struggle or leave.
Here are five of the top insights our research uncovered.
1. Sector Experience May Be Desired, But It’s Not Sufficient
Board chairs consistently emphasised qualities such as emotional intelligence, humility, resilience, communication skills, and the ability to build trust across diverse stakeholders as being essential for executive leader effectiveness.
Technical expertise and sector knowledge matter, but they were rarely viewed as sufficient. In an increasingly volatile operating environment, boards are looking for leaders who can adapt, navigate complexity, and lead change while maintaining strong relationships internally and externally.
2. Alignment Matters More Than Agreement
Many leadership challenges stem not from conflicting opinions but from differing expectations.
Successful board chairs invested time in clarifying roles, authority, decision rights, and strategic priorities with the chief executive. The most effective relationships created clear alignment around what success looked like, who owned which decisions, and how the board and executive would work together during periods of change.
Without that alignment, misunderstandings can quickly escalate into frustration and executive turnover.
3. A Durable Foundation of Trust is Non-Negotiable
The strongest chief executive–board chair relationships are built on trust. Board chairs described trust as emerging from and sustained by three factors:
- Timely and transparent communication between the chief executive and the board
- Reliability in delivering on commitments by both parties
- Sound judgment and steady hands during crises
When trust breaks down, both leadership effectiveness and retention suffer.
4. Active Support is a Strategic Board Responsibility
Chief executives repeatedly identified board support as a critical factor in their success.
According to board chairs, effective support means serving as a thought partner during crises, helping navigate complex stakeholder dynamics, providing moral support during difficult decisions, and ensuring leaders have the resources and team capacity needed to succeed.
Boards that actively support their chief executives are also more likely to retain them.
5. Succession Planning Should be Prioritised, But Rarely Is
One of the most striking findings was how few organisations are prepared for leadership transitions. Most boards acknowledged that succession planning is critical, yet fewer than a quarter had a structured process for identifying and developing future leaders.
As a result, many organisations find themselves scrambling when a chief executive departs, often relying on interim leadership arrangements that can delay decisions, slow momentum, and create uncertainty across the organisation.
The Bottom Line
Executives are, of course, responsible for steering the organization through the tumult of our current era. For them to succeed, however, boards must take equal responsibility for building trust-based relationships, clarifying expectations, and providing meaningful support to the executives. At the same time, boards must look to the future of the organization and engage in succession planning, including building a profile of leadership qualities essential for the role, so that the next executive who takes the reins is set up with best chance of success. Our research suggests that these are responsibilities best shared with executive leaders.
Read more here: Success Patterns of ICSO Executives – Phase II: Board Chair Perspectives – International Civil Society Centre
