To Post or Not
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.
One thing I’ve noticed is this: silence can start to look like disengagement, but carelessness can look like a governance failure. The work is finding the space in between.
I don’t think social media is inherently risky for directors. But I do think it’s consequential. Every post, like, or comment sends a signal about judgment, alignment, discretion, and understanding of role. For me, the question has never been whether directors should engage online. It’s how to do so in a way that reinforces trust rather than undermines it.
When I see director engagement working well, it’s usually quiet and disciplined. Engaging with company-approved content such as earnings announcements, sustainability reports, or leadership transitions can be a simple way to signal stewardship and alignment. In my experience, less really is more here. A like or reshare is often sufficient. Commentary, when added, is best kept factual and restrained. Enthusiasm or interpretation can unintentionally suggest access to information the market doesn’t yet have.
I’ve also seen directors add real value by staying at the industry level. Sharing or responding to broader conversations about sector trends, governance practices, or regulatory shifts can reinforce credibility without speaking for the company. I tend to suggest framing these observations at the system level rather than referencing a specific organization directly.
Governance and leadership themes are often the safest and most natural territory. Reflections on ethics, risk oversight, culture, succession, or long-term value creation usually land well. What matters is speaking from experience rather than position, and resisting the temptation to pull examples from inside your company’s boardroom.
Where I’ve seen things go sideways, it’s almost never one big misstep. It’s the accumulation of small ones: commenting on an emerging issue before management communications are settled, reacting emotionally to activist or political pressure, engaging in comment threads where nuance collapses, or trying to “clarify” something that didn’t actually need clarification.
A test I often use myself is simple: would I be comfortable seeing this post quoted in a proxy circular, a courtroom, or a headline? If the answer is no, or even maybe, then you need to pause.
There are also a few hard-fast boundaries that all directors need to hold firmly. Non-public information should never be disclosed or implied, even indirectly. Directors shouldn’t act as informal spokespeople or try to correct the market or the media; that’s management’s role. If something feels off, the right move is to flag it privately. Advocacy on sensitive issues and operational commentary also require care. Social media has a way of collapsing the distinction between governance and management very quickly.
AI has added another layer that I think deserves caution. Used lightly, it can help polish language. Used carelessly, it can introduce errors or overconfidence. I don’t recommend using generative tools to draft posts that reference a company or board role, and confidential information should never be entered into them. At the end of the day, directors are accountable for what they publish, regardless of how it was created.
Before I post anything, I try to pause and ask a few questions:
Is this information already public?
Am I speaking as a company director or generally as a private individual?
Could this be misunderstood without context?
If I hesitate, I usually take that as a signal to wait.
Social media isn’t a side activity for directors anymore. It’s part of a governance ecosystem that’s highly visible, searchable, and permanent. In my experience, the directors who navigate it best aren’t the loudest or most prolific. They bring the same restraint, consistency, and judgment online that boards are expected to bring to the organizations they serve.