Self-assessment of the board is a crucial behavior of leadership that boards that are highly effective make use of to ensure long-term oversight. It requires the board members to step back and critically reflect on their effectiveness. This allows the board to address areas that might otherwise cause major frustration and tension.

There are a myriad of ways to conduct a self-assessment on your board, ranging from interviews and surveys to facilitated discussions. The best approach depends on the size of the board, the available resources and how deep you want to take into the assessment.

If you decide to use the method ensure that you define your objectives for the assessment. Do you wish to improve accountability or improve governance? Or align governance with the goals of your organization? Once you’ve determined this, you can choose an evaluation tool.

Some tools let you analyze your results against other hospitals or health care systems some are focused solely on the Corporate Governance governance policies of your organization. It is essential to ensure that the tools you select are impartial and don’t single out directors. This will create a safe environment where honest feedback can be provided.

A lot of boards employ a peer-review process, which asks directors to assess each one another. This is a beneficial and productive process, however it is vital that the process is secret. Some directors might be reluctant to criticize a director due to fear of negative consequences. In this scenario it’s generally better to have the facilitator go through all the comments and determine which insights are relevant to discuss with the board.