The Savvy Director Blog

 “Small is the number of them that see with their own eyes
and feel with their own hearts.” – Albert Einstein

In today’s fast-moving digital world, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we work, learn, and make decisions. For board directors, AI tools like ChatGPT and other generative platforms offer unprecedented convenience – summarizing lengthy reports, generating questions, and even drafting board materials.

But as these tools become more embedded in boardroom routines, a c...

Does it sometimes feel as though you hear from the same few directors at every board meeting? What about all the others? Why do they stay silent? And more importantly, what can be done about it?

These days, many boards are consciously pursuing more diversity around the board table. The benefits include exposure to a variety of viewpoints, a range of experiences to draw on, and greater insight into stakeholders’ concerns and perspectives. But board diversity won’t deliver on its promise unles...

Sometimes I hear from board directors who are struggling to find their voice in the boardroom. They don’t feel comfortable speaking up, or they can’t seem to make themselves heard.

It can be a particular challenge for newcomers to the board, or for those who feel outnumbered by virtue of their gender, age, race, etc.

If you don’t feel comfortable speaking up in the boardroom, you’ll end up feeling less engaged – maybe frustrated and resentful. Not only is that hard on you, but that kind of s...

In our recent Savvy Director blog post, Focus on What Matters, I wrote about the importance of boards staying focused on mission-critical issues. With the flood of board materials, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Board meetings are filled with reports, updates, and discussions. As directors we have to be able to distinguish what’s truly important (the signal) from the massive volume of less strategic information (the noise).

A simple framework that we call The Director’s Focus can help cu...

Does kindness have a place in the boardroom?

Lately I’ve read a few interesting articles about the value of being kind vs. being nice. It got me thinking about how this distinction applies to a board of directors.

The Savvy Director understands that being effective requires more than just knowledge of the esoteric rules of board governance. It requires understanding people - how they think, behave and interact with each other. In fact, one of The Six Key Habits of The Savvy Director is ‘Coll...

Let’s start with a fundamental truth in the world of boards — whether they’re non-profit, private company, publicly traded, or charity boards. Board directors wear many hats — but they don’t wear them every day. Unlike staff, directors aren’t embedded in the organization’s daily operations. Their time together is limited, their role is strategic, and their impact depends on one essential truth.

A Savvy Director focuses on what matters.

This isn’t one of DirectorPrep’s Six Key Habits, but i...

Joining a new board of directors is like getting on a bus – one that’s already full of people and is well on its way to its destination.

The tricky part is that the bus isn’t stationary. Even as you hop on, it’s already moving.

Whether it’s your first bus ride or you’re a veteran, you’ve got to catch your breath, find your place, and settle in for the journey.

In the same way, whether you’re a first time director or you’ve already served on a few boards, it’s normal to start a new board ro...

Whenever I spot the word “governance” in a headline, I notice it. So, a recent article in our local news feed caught my attention. It described issues on the board of a well-known public institution, then went on to say that the board chair had been contacted for comment.

The chair deferred comment to the organization’s director of communications. The director of communications in turn refused to comment, saying "The board is an independent governing body so any further comment would rest wit...

If you find your board work a less than enjoyable experience, and board meetings boring and frustrating, maybe you’re part of a dysfunctional board.

When it comes to a board of directors, dysfunction tends to arise from two broad areas – process and people. You’re probably not surprised that people-centered dysfunction is way more frustrating to experience, and way trickier to fix, than the process-centered kind. That’s what happens when you throw human nature into the mix!

Still, there are...

Over the years I’ve been involved in more than a few searches for a new CEO, and, I have to say, it’s got to be one of the most nerve-wracking processes that a board of directors undertakes. There is just so much riding on that one decision. It’s a process that is fraught with risk – the risk of overlooking the right person and selecting the wrong person.

In recent blog posts, we’ve dealt with different takes on the board’s role in CEO succession – first, the challenge of naming an interim CEO ...