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The Savvy Director Blog

Welcome to The Savvy Director™ blog, a place to engage on board governance topics as you travel the path to being a savvy director.

If you're interested in upping your game at the board table, no matter the size of your board or the type of organization you serve, subscribe below to receive a weekly link right in your email inbox.

Living in a VUCA World

prepare for meetings Mar 27, 2022

This article is the first of two dealing with our VUCA world and how the board of directors can help their organizations to navigate its challenges. Part 2, Navigating our VUCA World, was published on April 3rd.

As a board director, are you finding that your organization is operating in an environment that has changed radically – and keeps changing at an accelerating pace?

If so, you’re not alone. You're facing a VUCA world. Surviving and thriving in that world demands a different app...

Ever-Changing Tech

prepare for meetings Mar 20, 2022

Would you agree that staying on top of technology developments shouldn’t be left to the one tech-fluent director on your board?

Just as it’s no longer acceptable to defer all the responsibility for understanding the financial statements to the accountant on the board, I feel that keeping up with the techies has to become a shared responsibility for all board directors.

It’s pretty clear to me that all directors need to have their heads in the tech game – at least well enough to know the scor...

Is Your Board a High Value Team?

collaborate with others Mar 13, 2022

by Alice Sayant, ICD.D

We’ve all had experience with teams – sport teams, project teams, work teams, whatever. So, when we join a board of directors, are we joining another team? Can we apply our life experience with other kinds of teams to the work of the board?

“When most people think of high-performing teams, they think of sports teams, trauma center professionals, or fire department crews. They rarely think of … boards. Still, if you want an exceptional board, you need to create a h...

When to Stop Talking

collaborate with others Feb 06, 2022

This response from a Savvy Director reader to the question ‘What boardroom skills do you want to learn?’ caught my attention:

“Knowing when there is no added value to ongoing discussion.”

You might think that particular skill is one that needs to be exercised by the board chair. After all, it’s the chair’s responsibility to guide the discussion, make sure all voices have been heard, and recognize when the time is right to bring the discussion to a close.

Yet each individual directo...

Making Arguments with Impact

think independently Jan 16, 2022

One skill that Savvy Directors are always interested in improving is their ability to make clear concise arguments. When their board is faced with a decision, they want to express their views on the issue and try to convince their fellow directors.

Having influence in the boardroom requires good communication skills, like active listening and knowing how to ask tough but fair questions. But sooner or later every director has to speak up – otherwise you might as well pack up and go home. ...

The Fading Bright Line

build governance skills Jan 09, 2022

Directors - both new and experienced – often struggle with differentiating their role from that of management. As a board member – whatever the nature of the organization you serve – you want to get a handle on your governance role.

“I would like to find out more about / receive a refresher on the division of governance and operations – what falls under governance, operations, or possibly joint responsibility.” – A Savvy Director reader

“I found it hard not to dabble in operations - I know ...

The Road Ahead

your governance journey Jan 02, 2022

Late in the year we asked you - our readers - to share your issues, your concerns, and your challenges as you continue along your journey to be the most effective director you can be. We rely on your feedback to help us stay on track, so we can provide what board directors like you want and need for the road ahead, in 2022 and beyond.

And boy, did we get some valuable feedback! There’s no question about it – our readers are absolutely dedicated to this work. We’ve got enough to keep us goi...

Sharpening the Saw

build governance skills Dec 12, 2021

“Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have – you.” – Stephen R. Covey

It’s been 30 years since Dr. Stephen R. Covey published his bestselling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but it’s still going strong. And one of the most enduring of Dr. Covey’s seven habits is to ‘Sharpen the Saw.’ It’s about taking the time for self-renewal - constantly improving to become our best selves.

For the Savvy Director, that means investing the time and energy t...

The Savvy Director Celebrates 100

your governance journey Dec 05, 2021

Today at DirectorPrep, we are celebrating our 100th post of The Savvy Director blog!

We published our very first, Why The Savvy Director? in October of 2019. Who knew how much the world would change in those two years?

Here’s how we introduced our new blog:

“This is a place for us to engage on topics that can help us on our respective journeys toward becoming savvy board directors – directors who are always prepared for our board meetings, ready to collaborate, contribute and inf...

The Board's Campfire

build governance skills Nov 28, 2021

Building a great board of directors is like building the perfect campfire. You have to picture how high the flames might leap or how far the sparks could fly.

I’ve had this metaphor in the back of my mind for some time. I’ve always been fascinated by fires – campfires as a Cub Scout camping in the Rockies, and now wood-burning fires in the old brick fireplace of our vintage home.

I snapped the photo above during one of my favorite moments - early on a cold weekend morning in the dead ...