Vision Super: Becoming a high performance board requires deliberate intent

Vision Super is an industry super fund that has been around for just over 70 years. To ensure exceptional board performance, Vision Super engaged with Insync in partnership with Board Benchmarking to conduct a review of the performance and effectiveness of its board and directors. Following the review in November of 2018, Vision Super received Insync’s report and recommendations and the board agreed on an improvement plan to lift its performance and effectiveness in recommended areas.

In December of 2020, Vision Super’s board completed Board Benchmarking’s new and improved Board Effectiveness Survey in conjunction with Insync. As a result, Vision Super drastically improved from being benchmarked just above the average of peer financial services boards to one of the most effective in Board Benchmarking’s sizeable database as shown below.

The six steps to becoming a high-performing board

Vision Super’s board took six steps to significantly improve its effectiveness. Insync recommends that all boards take these same steps to help them ‘move the dial’ through deliberate intent and become a high-performing board.

1. Get a good measure and a deep understanding of your current performance and effectiveness and the main areas for improvement
2. Board unity and sustained commitment to the agreed action plan
3. Chair to demonstrate leadership and vulnerability during the change process
4. Focus on individual director improvement as well as board improvement
5. Regular check-ins to measure the impact of the agreed actions and adapt accordingly
6. Never cease the journey of improvement – it’s a journey, not a destination

This case study was prepared in February of 2021 by Insync in association with Board Benchmarking.