The Art of Swooping

(When to Dive In, When to Rise Above—And Why Good Directors Do Both)

Board directors are often told to “stay out of the weeds” and “keep their noses in, fingers out.” The message? Soar. Think big. Stay strategic.

But the truth is, good governance requires a bit of flight skill: the ability to soar at altitude and occasionally swoop in—at just the right moment.

The terms “swooping and soaring” have been popularized in board governance circles by Beverley Behan, a leading board advisor and author of Great Companies Deserve Great Boards (a must-read if you haven’t). She uses them to describe the dynamic range effective directors must master: soaring to provide strategic guidance, and swooping when insight or oversight reveals a need to dig deeper.

It’s an art. And like any art, it’s about timing, judgment, and context.

1️⃣ Soaring: Seeing the Bigger Picture

To soar is to stay at the governance altitude. It means keeping your eye on the horizon—strategy, performance, risk, long-term health. Soaring is about asking the right questions, not solving the operational ones. It’s about trust: in management, in process, and in your own ability to hold space for complexity without needing to control it.

✅ When soaring works well, directors stay focused on purpose, long-term value, and systemic health. They guide without interfering. They lead through insight, not instruction.

🔻 But soar too long or too high, and you risk detachment. Warning signs get missed. Patterns shift without notice. A “hands-off” board can quickly become an “eyes-closed” one.

2️⃣ Swooping: Going In With Purpose

Swooping is not micromanagement. It’s strategic intervention. It happens when something doesn’t add up, when data signals misalignment, or when trust in a particular narrative wavers. You swoop to understand, clarify, and—if needed—course-correct.

✅ When swooping is done well, it’s sharp, focused, and informed. You’re not trying to run operations—you’re trying to regain altitude with better insight.

🔻 But swoop too often or without cause, and you become a nuisance. You undercut management. You crowd out accountability. And you blur the line between governance and operations.

3️⃣ The Key to a Good Swoop? Tombstone Data.

If you're going to swoop, you need a reason—and that reason usually lives in the data.

Tombstone data—those fixed, factual, comparative metrics over time—help directors know when to swoop and why. Think performance trends, turnover patterns, customer churn, or budget variance. These aren’t smoking guns, but they’re where the smoke starts.

Tombstone data give you a foundation to ask a grounded question, not just a gut-feeling one.

Without it, your swoop can feel like a personal attack.
With it, you can say, “Help me understand why X has declined three quarters in a row, even as we’re hearing Y in the boardroom.”

Final Thought: Flight Skill Matters

Great directors don’t just “stay in their lane”—they learn how to fly the full range of altitude.
They soar when it’s time to see the forest.
They swoop when the trees are on fire.
And they always come back up with a clearer view.

So next time you're unsure whether to intervene or let it ride—ask yourself:
Is this a moment to soar, or a moment to swoop?
And do I have the data to know the difference?