In today’s boardrooms, expectations are rising. Directors are expected to not only govern with wisdom but also to bring fresh insight into emerging risks, new technologies, and shifting social expectations. That’s where upskilling comes in. Upskilling isn’t about collecting credentials for the sake of it…

If you have served on a board long enough, you have met them: the director who rubs you the wrong way. Maybe it is their style—too abrasive, too quiet, too long-winded. Maybe you simply do not understand where they are coming from. Boards are not friendship clubs. They are governance bodies…

Over the years, I’ve seen boards that hum with healthy debate, adapt quickly to change, and make courageous decisions together. I’ve also seen boards that become paralysed by entrenched positions, unspoken tensions, and directors who simply couldn’t work within the culture. They just don’t ‘fit’…

Board work is work. It may not come with a timesheet or a corner office, but it demands time, judgment, and real responsibility. And yet, it often sits at the crossroads of service and compensation especially in sectors like non-profits, start-ups, and Crown corporations where expectations are high, and resources may be limited…

Most boards are solid at the basics. Review the financials. Keep an eye on KPIs. Approve the strategy. Ask a few clarifying questions that don’t rock the boat. But when it comes to real leadership - the kind that stretches thinking, reframes issues, and creates room for something new - it’s easy for boards to coast…

Private conversations between directors are a normal, and often necessary, part of board work. They build trust, strengthen relationships, test thinking, and help directors prepare for high-stakes discussions. But there’s a fine line between allyship, which strengthens governance, and lobbying, which undermines it …

One of the most underrated parts of board work happens not in the boardroom, but around the dinner table the night before. Over the years, I’ve come to value these dinners as more than just a calendar placeholder. They are where tone is set, relationships are tended, and …

Early in my career, I saw it all the time. The quiet assumptions. The subtle exclusions. The invisible lines between who belonged and who was quietly kept at the edge. Decades later, unconscious bias and othering are still here…

Strategy never fails on paper. It fails in execution, in assumption, or in resistance that no one wanted to name out loud. The board’s role isn’t to write the strategy but to interrogate it…

A CEO once told me, “We need a better culture.” I bit and asked, “Better how?” They paused, then said, “I want people to take more initiative. Speak up. Stop waiting for permission.” That moment stuck with me because beneath the vague language was a very specific problem…

We’ve all heard the phrase: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But in the context of a board of directors, this isn’t just a metaphor. It’s a test. If your board isn’t functioning as more than a collection of resumes, expertise, and credentials, you’re not getting full value…

Board work isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes resilience, clarity, discernment and more often than we admit, the ability to sit in discomfort. To be effective, I think that directors must lead with both Grit&Grace…

Every boardroom has its moments. When the meeting goes off the rails, the dynamic shifts, or the conversation spirals into chaos. In other words, when things go cattywampus…

We don’t talk nearly enough about reciprocity in board governance—but we should.

Reciprocity isn’t about scratching backs or quiet quid-pro-quos. It’s not about trading votes, currying favour, or keeping mental scorecards. That’s politics—not governance…

In a world of increasing complexity, linear thinking is no longer good enough. Board directors must learn to see not just the decision in front of them, but the system around it. That’s where systems thinking comes in. It means looking beyond immediate consequences to understand long-term impacts, feedback loops, and unintended outcomes. At its core, systems thinking is about understanding how things connect…

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…

We often talk about the importance of alignment in governance—but what we don’t talk about enough is the need for friction. Not conflict for conflict’s sake, but productive, healthy tension. The kind that pushes thinking, stretches assumptions, and keeps groupthink in check…

The boardroom is supposed to be the place where strategy, oversight, and accountability rise above bias. But language—subtle, unconscious, and deeply cultural—often tells a different story.

Too often, directors who identify as women or LGBTQ2S+ are described as emotional while men are passionate. She’s aggressive, he's assertive. They need to build confidence, he shows promise…

At the board table, we often talk about culture like it’s something that can be designed in a workshop or installed with a new CEO. But anyone who’s served on a board long enough knows—it doesn’t work that way. Culture isn’t what’s printed on the wall. It’s what lives in the room when the doors are closed. Directors play a quiet but powerful role in shaping the tone and texture of a company’s culture…

We can all agree that ‘good governance’ is critical to any board, but can we agree on what it is? Some would say it’s just about bylaws, audits, and annual retreats; others would say it’s about stewardship, judgement, and culture. At its best, governance is the invisible structure that holds an organization steady through change, challenge, and opportunity…