--- title: "Successful Board Relations for Newly Minted CEOs" id: "61490" type: "post" slug: "successful-board-relations-for-newly-minted-ceos" published_at: "2022-01-11T21:00:52+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T18:09:06+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/successful-board-relations-for-newly-minted-ceos/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/successful-board-relations-for-newly-minted-ceos.md" excerpt: "Trust, accountability, and active listening were the cornerstones for two new CEOs who successfully built relationships with their boards under challenging circumstances. This foundation let them hit the ground running, build momentum, and keep going." taxonomy_category: - "Governance" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" - "New CEO" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Successful Board Relations for Newly Minted CEOs Part of the Deep Dive[Forward](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/all-aboard-the-ceos-board-management-toolkit/) New CEOs have a long checklist of to-dos and challenges right out of the gate. Added to that, they need to establish a relationship with their boards to be effective. As with any relationship, building trust means doing what you say you’re going to do and making sure you’re really listening. When Bennie F. Johnson began as CEO of AIGA in January 2020, the professional association for design, the organization was at an inflection point. AIGA’s hands-on board had been involved in the day-to-day operations of the group for a long time prior to Johnson’s arrival, so he knew he had to gain their trust to give himself more latitude to lead. Johnson spent his first 90 days assessing what he observed and establishing a rapport with the board. At about that point in his tenure, the pandemic hit, and AIGA operations switched to virtual, but Johnson maintained the existing cadence of holding board meetings every four weeks. He admits it was intense, but it was helpful for both the board and Johnson to establish checkpoints about what staff was working on and where the group was headed. “They brought me in to change, but nobody tells you how we’re going to change,” Johnson said. [Lisa Boylan](https://associationsnow.com/author/lisa-boylan/) Lisa Boylan is a former senior editor of Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/lisa-boylan/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) [#New CEO](https://associationsnow.com/tag/new-ceo/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## More in this Deep Dive - [Build a Board DEI Strategy to Strengthen Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/build-a-board-dei-strategy-to-strengthen-leadership/) - [What It Takes to Run a Great Hybrid Board Meeting](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/what-it-takes-to-run-a-great-hybrid-board-meeting/) - [The Advantages—and Realities—of a Board Election Overhaul](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/the-advantages-and-realities-of-a-board-election-overhaul/) - [Should You Change Your Strategic Plan?](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/should-you-change-your-strategic-plan/) - [The 5 Ps of Onboarding New Board Members](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/onboarding-new-board-members/) - [Maintain a Healthy Board Culture in Divisive Times](https://associationsnow.com/2022/01/11/maintain-a-healthy-board-culture-in-divisive-times/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/all-aboard-the-ceos-board-management-toolkit/) ## You Might Like - [VideoThe Graham Report: New CEO Trends in 2024January 31, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/01/31/the-graham-report-new-ceo-trends-in-2024/) - [VideoThe Graham Report: How to Land a CEO JobJanuary 31, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/01/31/the-graham-report-how-to-land-a-ceo-job/) - [VideoSmarter Board Management for Associations: An OnBoard ShowcaseJuly 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/24/smarter-board-management-for-associations-an-onboard-showcase/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Leading Together-Strengthening the Board-CSO PartnershipDecember 18, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/18/associations-now-presents-leading-together-strengthening-the-board-cso-partnership/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2022%2F01%2F11%2Fsuccessful-board-relations-for-newly-minted-ceos%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !