2025 Public Company Board Practices Oversight Survey

Data Pack: Board-CEO Relationship

07/28/2025

 

Which of the following actions has the board taken in the past 12-18 months to strengthen their relationship with the CEO?

 

Actions

Value

Acted as a "sounding board" for the CEO during difficult decisions

65.63%

Increased interactions between CEO and board chair or lead independent director outside of board meetings

53.75%

Provided more detailed and frequent feedback to the CEO

51.88%

Aligned board expectations of CEO with compensation and incentive structure

48.75%

Solicited CEO feedback on the board in formal evaluations

36.25%

Attended social events with the CEO outside of board meetings

31.25%

Adjusted board composition to better support the CEO

26.88%

Solicited management feedback on the board’s performance

25.00%

Built a shared view of an effective relationship

20.00%

Other

1.25%

None – the board has not taken action to strengthen its relationship with the CEO in the past 12 to 18 months

3.75%

 

n=160

 

This table comes from the Board-CEO Relationship section of the 2025 NACD Public Company Board Practices and Oversight Survey.