A skills audit is all about getting the right people around the table.
A key element of board effectiveness is ensuring all have the relevant skills and experiences to contribute to the work of the board along with the necessary commitment of time and energy. Collectively, the board need to have a range of backgrounds and competencies appropriate to the board’s responsibilities and to develop the right strategy for the business.
Our skills audit tool is based on 6 Skills Areas and 12 Core Competencies. We compare results between different types of respondents to understand where people are most and least aligned, and why. The result report includes a skills matrix which enables you to assess the strengths of your board, based on the overall results, and highlights where your board needs to develop to deliver its functions effectively. Many board members will have more than one of these skills or skills required based on your strategy, but if there is a shortage in one area across the whole board, this may need to be rectified either by training or by recruiting someone to the board with the necessary experience, or both.
Professional skills which boards may find valuable, depending on their strategy, priorities or upcoming projects, include financial management and accountancy; organisational change management; legal; human resources; property and estates management; procurement and contracting services; project management; equal opportunities; risk management; health and safety; marketing and public relations; technology and many more.
The journey of the skills audit should not start when your governing board finds itself with a vacancy. It is an ongoing cycle that begins with evaluating what knowledge and skills you already have and then making a decision about who you need now and in the future. Time spent getting the right person is time well spent. Building a successful board team is about achieving balance and diversity in skills and experiences and then investing in the development of the board members.
When you get the right person, it will have a positive impact not only on the rest of the board but also on the organisation and the wider community in which the business operates.
Best practise dictates that an effective board should carry out a skills audit annually. This can be done internally, but it’s always best to have it done by an independent third party for an impartial view and greater transparency.