The Savvy Director Blog

This blog explores how knowledge of an organization's history, founding purpose, and cultural roots provides directors with valuable context for today's decisions on governance and strategy.

We’re officially in the dog days of summer. I like summer. I like dogs. So bring on the dog days.

As the old song said, ‘Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, those days of soda and pretzels and beer.’

This part of the year has always been a time to relax, get away with the family (and the f...

This post highlights why directors must read and think for themselves before turning to AI and shows how purpose‑built tools can elevate board oversight. Through real examples and practical prompts, it demonstrates how AI can sharpen analysis while keeping decision‑making firmly in human hands.

Board directors today face a familiar but increasingly demanding reality: meeting materials are getting longer, timelines are getting tighter, and expectations for good governance keep rising. Director...

The ideal executive compensation plan balances strategy, affordability, and fairness. This article helps directors navigate that complexity with concepts and targeted questions that lead to stronger, more defensible compensation decisions.

When it comes to executive compensation, it’s best to be cautious about giving advice. There’s a great deal of variation across industry sectors and geography, a multitude of designs available, and many different factors to consider.

Yet the board of dire...

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...

Intrinsic motivation is a powerful driver of board effectiveness, shaping how directors prepare, think, and engage in discussions. This post explains how autonomy, mastery, and purpose help directors sustain performance.

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...

This blog explores how a lack of focused preparation leads to reduced confidence and impact in the boardroom. It introduces the PREP Framework as a simple process to help directors move from feeling rushed to being fully prepared and ready to contribute.

Remember that feeling just before walking into your first board meeting? That combination of excitement and trepidation? You were wondering what you had got yourself into. But you couldn’t wait to make your mark.

But maybe that feeling has c...

This blog emphasizes the importance of focusing on mission‑critical issues to maximize a board’s impact. It helps directors distinguish signal from noise, avoid operational distractions, and keep discussions aligned with purpose.

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 organiza...

From search strategy to final selection, hiring a CEO involves a series of critical decisions. This post provides guidance for managing the process effectively, minimizing risk, and choosing a leader who fits the strategy and culture.

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 tha...

 

As complexity and disruption accelerate, boards must rethink how they interpret risk, strategy, and leadership. This post uses the BANI framework to show how a more human-centered approach can strengthen organizational resilience.

Here’s a new acronym for you. BANI. It stands for Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible. These four words form a framework that’s meant to describe the current state of the world.

Futurist Jamais Cascio created the BANI framework as a way of dealin...

This blog explains how directors can better understand and challenge management reports. It outlines what high-quality board reporting looks like and how to ensure reports provide insight, not just data.

How can directors possibly know what is going on in the organizations they serve? After all, while management spends all their time immersed in operations and strategy, board members spend a comparatively small amount of time on their board duties and seldom step outside the boardroom.

That ...