Greg Dyke Talks Boards at EBM…

In January, we were privileged to have Chairman of the FA, Greg Dyke join our On The Board session with the current cohort of footballers.

 

Previously Director General at the BBC, Greg has been the Chief Executive at numerous organisations including the LWT Group, Pearson Television and Channel Five. He also has current roles at HiT Entertainment and has been the Chancellor of the University of York for a number of years.

 

The FA are a sponsor of the EBM programmes and with his years of experience on boards, Greg was able to share his wisdom and insight with our students as they prepare to take up board appointments once they complete the course.

 

This week, we will share with you what student Rauf Mirza learned when he met Greg and what he thinks about the EBM programme. As a consultant, Rauf has worked on several projects with the FA including undertaking board appointments.

 

Rauf said:

 

The main points covered by Greg were:

 

– On boards, always ask the obvious questions- don’t assume anything. Ask to clarify.

 

– Don’t let experts, like accountants or finance managers bamboozle you with their jargon and information overload. Ask to clarify and ask for information on essentials.

 

– All board members should be familiar with the financial standing of an organisation. Don’t just leave it to the finance people, and don’t accept everything at face value.

 

– As a board member, get around the organisation and meet people to really understand the organisation outside the boardroom.

 

– Observe behaviours of board members and executive.

 

 

Why is the FA working with EBM/On The Board important and how it will benefit you in your role?

 

The EBM programme has clearly been identified by the FA as essential in its strategy to improve/develop its structures and functions. For my part, it will benefit me by receiving structured, professional and accredited training on corporate governance, something I have not received despite having experience on 2-3 boards previously. This training, combined with previous practical experiences will enable me to be more effective as a board member/chair in the future.

 

How will you apply what your learned from the main points Greg shared in your football related role?

 

Greg’s vast experience of boards is useful learning and vital knowledge for anyone seeking to join a board. Theory will only take one so far but it’s the real life scenarios and challenges that will separate the effective/contributing members from those merely collecting titles for their CV.

 

I hope to use this training and the previous board experiences to be invited onto the FA Board.

 

Overall, Greg’s visit was highly relevant to the EBM course, very informative for learning, and entertaining.  It’s a pity there was not more time allocated for more Q and A!

 

 

The Effective Board Member Programmes

 

The EBM course is very well structured, professionally managed and delivered by Karl George who in my experience is one of the best trainers I have come across.

 

His knowledge and experiences of the subject is excellent and his style is very much interactive, focused on practical learning, and generates an enjoyable atmosphere in the course.

 

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