Foundations of Directorship study plan

Map the director's statutory and fiduciary duties in your own jurisdiction and explain each in one written sentence

Distinguish the roles of board, chair, CEO and company secretary by drafting a one-page responsibility split

Identify the main governance codes or listing rules that apply to a board you know and list the five obligations most likely to be tested

Compare board structures (unitary, two-tier, unitary with independent majority) and state one strength and one weakness of each

Explain director independence, tenure and diversity expectations and apply them to a sample board of seven directors

Describe how committees (audit, risk, remuneration, nomination) delegate without abdicating responsibility

Design a board meeting agenda that allocates time to strategy, risk and compliance in defensible proportions

Draft board papers guidance specifying what a decision paper must contain to support an informed vote

Explain how minutes, resolutions and conflicts-of-interest registers create an evidence trail

Build a board evaluation framework covering individual director review, chair review and whole-board review

Distinguish conformance work from performance work and estimate the current time split on a sample agenda

Explain how board renewal and succession planning are scheduled rather than left to crisis

Translate a stated strategy into three board-level strategic questions the board should ask each year

Distinguish risk appetite from risk tolerance and draft a one-paragraph appetite statement for a chosen risk category

Explain how the board oversees financial health using cash flow, solvency and covenant indicators rather than profit alone

Diagnose the difference between a risk register and a risk framework, and identify three common board oversight failures

Explain how culture is measured and monitored by a board without micromanaging management

Map the board's obligations to shareholders, employees, customers, regulators and creditors, noting where duties conflict

Apply an ethical decision framework to a director-level dilemma involving a conflict between profit and safety

Explain how whistleblower channels, speak-up culture and conduct indicators reach the board

Describe how remuneration and incentive design shape behaviour and where boards get this wrong

Synthesise all four domains into a single one-page director's oversight cycle from annual planning to reporting

Complete a timed practice set across all domains and log every wrong answer by domain and cause

Re-teach your three weakest concepts aloud or in writing without notes