# Leadership Lounge: How New CEOs Build Productive Relationships With Their Board

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/redefiners-4103317/leadership-lounge-how-new-ceos-build-productive-relationships-with-their-board
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/redefiners-4103317/leadership-lounge-how-new-ceos-build-productive-relationships-with-their-board.md
Podcast: [Redefiners](https://stenobird.com/podcast/redefiners-4103317)
Published: 2026-02-11T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.russellreynolds.com/en/insights/podcasts/redefiners
Audio file: https://pdrl.fm/74755d/audio-delivery.cohostpodcasting.com/audio/6df349ec-d648-450e-b4dc-18c7bb07e8d3/episodes/af68dc98-d54f-4204-a05d-ae8eb2ed731c/episode.mp3?v=d2c4b7219c
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/redefiners-4103317/episodes/leadership-lounge-how-new-ceos-build-productive-relationships-with-their-board
Duration seconds: 1312

## Resource

For new CEOs, few relationships matter more—and few are more complex—than the&nbsp;relationship with their&nbsp;board. The tone set in the first year can either&nbsp;establish&nbsp;the board as a powerful ally or create friction that slows progress.&nbsp;&nbsp; In this episode of&nbsp; Leadership Lounge ,&nbsp; Emma Combe &nbsp;is joined by&nbsp;three of our trusted leadership&nbsp;advisors&nbsp; Rusty O’Kelley ,&nbsp; Anita Wingrove , and&nbsp; Ty Wiggins, &nbsp;to explore how new CEOs can build trust, alignment, and effective ways of working with their boards—and how that relationship evolves&nbsp;over time.&nbsp;&nbsp; They discuss:&nbsp;&nbsp; Why the CEO–board relationship is so critical in the first year of leadership&nbsp;&nbsp; What new CEOs should&nbsp;seek&nbsp;to understand about their board before and during the transition&nbsp;&nbsp; How transparency and candor build credibility and trust&nbsp;&nbsp; Where conflict most often arises between CEOs and boards—and how to navigate it constructively&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; “You&nbsp;ultimately want&nbsp;their perspective on key matters. And for that, they need to have the unvarnished truth.”&nbsp; &nbsp; Ty Wiggins &nbsp; Leadership Advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates&nbsp; &nbsp; Four things&nbsp;you’ll&nbsp;learn from this episode:&nbsp; &nbsp; Early engagement with board members helps new CEOs understand individual perspectives, priorities, and expectations—reducing the risk of misalignment&nbsp;later on.&nbsp;&nbsp; Clear priorities, timelines, and metrics give&nbsp;boards&nbsp;confidence and prevent anxiety from filling information gaps.&nbsp;&nbsp; Candor builds trust—boards are most effective when CEOs share the full picture, including challenges, alongside a clear plan forward.&nbsp;&nbsp; The CEO–boar…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/redefiners-4103317/episodes/leadership-lounge-how-new-ceos-build-productive-relationships-with-their-board/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/redefiners-4103317/leadership-lounge-how-new-ceos-build-productive-relationships-with-their-board.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.