The Savvy Director Blog

This blog provides practical guidance on how to make a strong first impression in your first board meeting. It outlines key behaviors, from preparation to communication, that help new directors build credibility and relationships.

As I write this week from the northern hemisphere, the fall season is on its way. That means the start of a new governance year for many of us — including new board members who’ve just been recruited and appointed to a board of directors.

Whether you’re a wily vete...

What does it take to be a great board chair? This post outlines the responsibilities, competencies, and preparation needed to lead a board successfully.

This article explains the concept of overboarding and provides practical guidance on managing time, avoiding conflicts, and maintaining high performance as a director.

Once you’ve established yourself as a director on one board, you may very well find that you’re being approached to serve on one or more additional boards.

Is saying “yes” a good idea? What should you think about before deciding? And what is the ideal number of boards to serve on?

As so often with the topics we explore in Th...

“This is a place for us to engage on topics that can help us on our respective journeys toward becoming savvy board directors – directors who are always prepared for our board meetings, ready to collaborate, contribute and inf...

This blog explains how to define and communicate your unique value as a board candidate through a clear board value proposition. It shows how articulating your skills and experience can help you stand out.

Landing the board seat you want can be very competitive, even for the most seasoned corporate director. For the dedicated and experienced non-profit director, finding your way onto a board with influence on a cause that you care about can involve an opaque appointment process, especially if...

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a really effective board director? What differentiates a ho hum director from an excellent one? Which directors add real value to the boards they serve on vs. those who just occupy a chair?

In other words, what are the most important behaviors of an effective director?

Or as we would say at DirectorPrep, “What are the Key Habits of The Savvy Director™?”

Whether delivering governance training to a board of directors, conducting an orientation sessio...

Directors can’t make good decisions if their energy is depleted. This post explores how stress, fatigue, and long meetings impact judgment—and what boards and directors can do about it.

I received some interesting comments in response to the last Savvy Director™ blog on the topic of resilient leadership. This one below really got me thinking about a director’s need for self-care in the face of stress and worry about the organizations they oversee.

“I hope leaders, even if resilient, do not...

Boards often don’t provide meaningful feedback to individual directors. This article shows how self-assessment and thoughtful conversations can help you understand your contribution and grow as a director.

The boards that I serve on conduct regular board self evaluations. They often use confidential online surveys for this purpose, since they are a convenient tool for obtaining input from each director on the board. Analyzing the data obtained from this kind of survey can serve as a foundat...

This blog explores what to consider when you’re invited to join a board and how to decide if the opportunity is right for you.

“Is this something I want to do?” “Is it time for me to start thinking about serving on boards at this point in my career?” “Am I already over committed and on too many boards?” “Would I agree to serve on this board just to make some money? Oh, it’s a volunteer position – I’ve done my share of those.” Maybe you can relate to this dilemma. I know I can.

What would the...