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The Second-Year Cliff
Board Accountability Checklist

The most common failure in executive leadership isn't a bad hire — it's a board that stops leading once the contract is signed. Use this checklist to assess where your governance stands.

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How to use this tool: Check each item your board currently has in place. If you find yourself in the red across a full section, that's a governance gap — not a leadership gap. The research is clear: most second-year failures are not caused by the wrong hire. They're caused by inadequate board support.
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01 Goal Clarity & Shared Definition of Success· 5 items
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The board and CEO co-created a written set of 90-day, 6-month, and 12-month success milestones before the executive's first day.
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Those milestones are grounded in the organizational moment (turnaround / stabilization / scale / transformation) — not recycled from the prior leader's goals.
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There is written alignment between the board chair and the CEO on what "good" looks like at the 12-month mark — shared and signed off before the search closes.
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Goals have been updated at least once in the past 12 months to reflect new organizational realities, not just carried forward from year one.
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The CEO has explicitly confirmed in writing that they feel the current goals are clear, fair, and achievable with adequate board support.
02 Evaluation Quality· 4 items
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The CEO has received at least one structured, formal, documented performance review tied to agreed-upon competencies within their first 18 months.
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Evaluation criteria are competency-based, measurable, and observable.
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The evaluation process includes structured feedback from direct reports and key stakeholders, not only the board chair's perspective.
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The CEO was given the opportunity to evaluate the board in return, and that feedback was formally received and acted upon.
03 Board Engagement & Partnership· 5 items
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The board chair and CEO have a standing 1:1 meeting (at least monthly) with a consistent agenda that includes both operational check-in and strategic alignment.
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The board has proactively opened doors for the new CEO/ED — made introductions, provided funder access, and activated its network on the executive's behalf.
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No individual board member is going around the CEO to access staff, programs, or operational information without the CEO's knowledge and consent.
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The board has explicitly and publicly signaled confidence in the CEO's leadership to staff, funders, and community stakeholders in year two.
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The board has discussed, and reached explicit consensus, on the distinction between board governance and staff management. Role boundaries are clear and respected.
04 Momentum & Early Warning Signs· 4 items
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The board has a formal mechanism, beyond annual reviews, to check in on the CEO's satisfaction, workload, and sense of board support.
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If staff turnover has occurred in the past 12 months, the board has investigated root causes independently and separated those findings from assumptions about the CEO.
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The board has not confused the CEO's management of a difficult organizational transition with poor leadership performance.
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If there are concerns about the CEO's performance, there is a documented, structured improvement process in place — not informal hallway conversations among board members.

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Read the full article: The Second-Year Cliff: Why Good Hires Fail in Year Two  ·  View all Tools