The Savvy Director Blog

Board retreats can be energizing, strategic, and highly effective. This article breaks down what makes a retreat successful and how savvy directors can contribute to a productive experience.

A board retreat can be a way to harness the board’s passion and expertise and align board members on strategy and goals. When the retreat’s been well planned and executed, directors leave feeling energized, and more engaged than ever in the future of the organization they serve.

The big advantage of a bo...

 

It’s easy for boards to get stuck in short‑term thinking. This article explores how the Three Horizons model gives directors a practical way to balance immediate needs with emerging opportunities and long‑term innovation.

As a director, you face a constant challenge: how to safeguard today’s performance while ensuring tomorrow’s relevance. It’s easy to find yourself locked into short-term thinking at the expense of long-term health.

The McKinsey Three Horizons of Growth framework can help y...

Conflicts of interest in the boardroom aren’t rare, they’re inevitable. This article explains how to recognize, disclose, and manage conflicts in a way that protects board integrity and stakeholder trust.

In board governance, the issue of conflict of interest never goes away. The thing is, for some reason it’s way easier to spot someone else’s conflict of interest than it is to spot your own.

As a director faced with a board decision, the need to be free of conflict of interest arises from y...

Preparation gets directors to the table, but readiness determines their impact. This article explores how mindset, presence, and strategic focus help directors elevate board discussions.

Picture this. Two directors read the same 300-page board package. Both highlight key sections and show up on time. One contributes little beyond a few clarifying questions. The other helps reframe a strategic decision, surfaces a hidden risk, and moves the room toward a clearer outcome.

What made the differe...

Directors with self-awareness make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and contribute more effectively. This article explains the two types of self‑awareness and offers practical ways to improve them.

Most of us like to think we’re self-aware – that we see ourselves clearly. Apparently, most of us are wrong. Research shows that only 10 to 15 percent of us fit the criteria for self-awareness.

Why does it matter? For board directors, self-awareness is an important attribute because...

Asking questions is a powerful tool for shaping strategy and surfacing risks. This article shows how to improve your questioning skills with better framing, timing, tone, and technique.

One of the most powerful tools in your director’s toolbox is the art of asking great questions. It’s so important that it’s one of The Six Key Habits of the Savvy Director. Regardless of your sector, your governance model, or the length of your tenure, your ability to ask insightful, timely, and courageous que...

Imposter syndrome shows up in boardrooms more often than you think. This article explores why capable people doubt themselves, the competence traps that fuel those feelings, and practical ways to reframe imposter thoughts.

It seems that, everywhere I go, someone is talking about imposter syndrome.

First it was an online discussion about 'Cultivating Your Influence in the Boardroom'.

Then a conversation with board directors at the inaugural Women Get On Board Summit. (Hold the date for WGOB'...

Directors need confidence, but unchecked ego can undermine trust and collaboration. This article examines common ego‑driven pitfalls and practical ways to balance self‑assurance with self‑awareness.

“The paradox of board leadership is that, while you might earn a seat on a board of directors thanks to your abilities, knowledge, or popularity, serving well as a board member means leaving your ego behind.” – Susan Mogensen, Brown Dog Consulting

It’s not a surprise that, as a general rule, boar...

If you sit on a board today, you’ve seen the flood of “must-have” topics: artificial intelligence, AI ethics, cybersecurity/resilience, ESG disclosures, climate risk, DEI, modern slavery, biodiversity, geopolitical risk, digital transformation, gender and age diversity, talent strategy, supply chain vulnerabilities, shareholder activism – the list grows every month.

Sometimes, the governance buzz is deafening. For directors, it’s easy to feel torn between the urgent and the important.

Consu...

Have you ever served on a board with a director you’d consider ideal? Someone you can’t wait to have in the boardroom, to engage in conversation that’s forward thinking, inspiring, and infused with values and goals aligned with the organization you both serve?

If you haven’t experienced that yet, I sincerely hope you do at some point, because there’s nothing like it. No matter your colleague’s background, they come prepared - ready to participate in the board discussion. Maybe not for every t...