The advice usually goes something like this: observe quietly at first, learn the personalities around the table, and slowly ease your way into the conversation. I’m not entirely convinced…

International Women’s Day on March 8th often brings a familiar rhythm—celebration, reflection, and renewed calls for progress. This 2026 theme, Give to Gain, resonates for a simple reason: it reflects how many women have quietly advanced leadership for decades.

There was a time when preparing for uncertainty meant booking a full day retreat, printing thick binders, and running through table-top risk scenarios. Pandemic. Cyber breach. Commodity shock. Regulatory change…

There comes a time in every director’s board experience when you ask yourself. . . Is it time for me to leave? It doesn’t matter whether you serve on a nonprofit, corporate, or Crown board…

There’s a familiar governance refrain: you need at least three of any under-represented group on a board for their voices to truly carry. Most often, this gets framed around women. One is token. Two can feel paired. Three becomes “normal.” The research calls it critical mass…

How do you get to an unbiased truth, especially when power and politics are in the room? I’ve seen two very different governance environments when it comes to board composition…

In the last ten years, I’ve watched social media move from something boards barely talked about to something directors are increasingly expected to navigate. LinkedIn, X, and industry forums now shape reputations and narratives far faster than board decks ever will…

In periods of geopolitical and economic volatility, I’ve noticed the same pattern play out again and again. Risk conversations speed up. Requests for updates multiply. New information arrives constantly, each data point demanding attention…

Joining a board as a new director can feel like stepping into a conversation already mid-sentence. The history is rich, the relationships are often well established, and the rhythms are familiar and well worn. In that context, credibility doesn’t come from talking more; it comes from asking better questions…

We didn’t ease into 2026. We lurched.

The year opened against a backdrop of geopolitical aggression, economic brinkmanship, market speculation, and a steady hum of conspiracy theories that blur the line between fact, fear, and fiction…

We don’t talk about intuition enough in governance circles. Not the mystical kind, but the deep, practiced knowing that comes from years of pattern recognition, lived experience, and the ability to read the room beneath the words…

“How much does IQ matter when you’re sitting at the board table? What about EQ?” This might seem like a deceptively simple question , but the leaders in the room went quiet…

At a recent board workshop, we spent time unpacking how to approach a board interview, what to ask, what to listen for, and how to evaluate the culture you may be stepping into. The conversation surfaced an important theme: integrity. . .

Boardrooms are full of impressive people yet even with all that talent, conversations can feel thin, decisions heavy, and progress slower than it should be. Which brings us to the old folktale of Stone Soup…

Onboarding isn’t paperwork. It’s culture-setting. In the first weeks of a new director’s term, a board signals what it values, what it neglects, and how it expects people to show up. A good onboarding process equips directors…

For decades, the relationship between boards and executives ran on a familiar rhythm. Management led, boards oversaw. There were clear lanes, predictable cycles, and a shared sense of expectations on what “good governance” looked like…

Lately, “unlearning” has become a buzzword, tossed around in leadership seminars, innovation workshops, and strategy retreats. But behind the jargon lies one of the most difficult and essential skills for modern governance.

Years ago, a coach and friend shared a simple truth that has stayed with me: every leader needs a circle. A circle is a small group of people who see you clearly, stretch you deeply, and stand beside you quietly when the weight of leadership feels heavy…

Boards often celebrate alignment. It’s a mark of maturity, shared purpose, unified direction, and collective wisdom. But there’s a quiet danger in too much harmony. When everyone agrees too quickly, it’s worth asking: what are we not hearing? …

In boardrooms, we talk a lot about impact. Less often do we talk about effect. Yet understanding the difference between the two can mean the difference between being a director who shapes outcomes and one who simply reacts to them…