About this episode
The episode explores what boards expect from CEOs beyond financial metrics, emphasizing trust and transparency.
Boards have high expectations for CEOs, but what do directors truly want beyond the numbers and reports? In this episode, Wayne Peacock, vice chair of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation and the former CEO of USAA, and Dona Young, a director on the boards of USAA, NACD, and Spahn & Rose, spoke with NACD director of governance content Mallory Bucher. Peacock and Young are cochairs of the NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission. Together, they unpack what directors expect from CEOs. They also discuss how to establish trust early and maintain it through disagreement and disruption, and why steady leadership and transparency matter most when the stakes are high. Host: Mallory Bucher, director of governance content, NACD Guests: Dona Young, NACD.DC®, director, USAA, NACD, Spahn & Rose; cochair, NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission Wayne Peacock , vice chair, Elizabeth Dole Foundation; former CEO, USAA; cochair, NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission Related NACD Resources: Building a High-Trust Board-CEO Relationship “Making CEO Succession Plans Stick” “A Director’s Responsibility to the CEO” Visit nacdonline.org for further research and information.
People in this episode
Host: Mallory Bucher
Guests: Wayne Peacock, Dona Young
Topics covered
- CEO expectations
- board governance
- trust in leadership
- transparency
- leadership during disruption
Keywords
- CEO
- board expectations
- leadership
- trust
- transparency
- governance
- NACD
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Elizabeth Dole Foundation, USAA, NACD, Spahn & Rose, NACD 2025 Blue Ribbon Commission
More episodes of BoardVision
- Protecting Directors: Physical Security · May 27, 2026 · 16 min
- Protecting Directors: Cybersecurity · May 20, 2026 · 19 min
- The Growing Pains of Family Businesses · April 22, 2026 · 21 min
- Investing in Board Culture · March 18, 2026 · 30 min
- What CEOs Expect from Their Boards · February 25, 2026 · 20 min
- The Power of Board Networks · January 21, 2026 · 31 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the BoardVision podcast page.