Executives new to the C-suite face challenges and opportunities they have not encountered previously. One is communicating effectively with the Board.  Leaders increase the likelihood of successful Board relationships and productive Board meetings when they: 

1. Invest. Spend time and energy interacting outside of formal Board meetings. Utilize pre-meetings to socialize ideas and get feedback. Bring Board members along, get to know them as people, and establish some trust outside the large, formal ‘Board room’ environment where many personalities (and egos) are often at play. 
2. Empathize. Pause often to think about their perspective, particularly when preparing presentations. What information would be most helpful to them? A strong desire to perform well and impress key stakeholders can unknowingly result in 50+ slides aimed at proving how bright, valuable, or busy the leader and their team are. This strategy fails to leave time or space for intelligent discussion that would inform decision-making. 
3. Link. Connect the dots and ensure the data tell a story. Smart, analytical executives can fall into letting "the numbers speak for themselves." Demonstrate analytical rigor—yes—but pair it with big-picture thinking and some human elements to create curiosity and foster a sense of shared accountability. 

Like all humans, Board members want to be helpful and feel effective—as advisors, stewards, and sounding boards. Executives that keep that top-of-mind are most successful.