The Savvy Director Blog

Committees can either enhance board effectiveness or create unnecessary complexity. This post shows how to design, manage, and evaluate board committees so they support strong governance and meaningful oversight.

The Savvy Director blog usually focuses on the director role as it relates to the board as a whole. But in the past few weeks, I’ve found myself spending far more time on my role as a committee member. And that’s not unusual.

With committee work on my mind, it seems like a good time...

This blog explores what truly defines a director’s legacy - the impact they have on people and boardroom culture. It highlights how emotional intelligence, integrity, and everyday interactions shape lasting influence.

As board directors, we often measure our impact by the weight of our responsibilities, the complexity of the decisions we make, or the prestige of the organizations we serve. But when our board term comes to an end, and our memory of all the meetings fades, what truly remains?...

Curiosity is a powerful trait for directors. This blog explores how asking better questions, challenging assumptions, and being open to new ideas leads to more robust decision-making.

I often close my email messages with the words ‘Stay Curious.’

For me, it’s more than just a closing line like ‘Sincerely’ or ‘Yours truly.’ I mean it as a reminder to the reader – and to myself for that matter – to intentionally focus on always bringing a lively state of curiosity to the board table.

I firmly...

When everyone agrees, that’s often the moment to question the decision. This article explores how the Tenth Person Rule helps boards surface hidden risks, challenge assumptions, and strengthen decision quality.

One of the fundamental assumptions about the value of a board of directors is that group decisions produce better outcomes than those made by individuals. The idea is that diverse perspectives and robust debate improve the decision-making process. That’s often — but not always — true.

This blog explains how evaluating meetings can significantly improve overall board effectiveness. It outlines practical methods and key areas of focus to help refine agendas, discussions, and decision-making.

This is the last in a series of four Savvy Director articles dealing with various aspects of board and director evaluation. The first two articles in the series, “From Compliance to Improvement” and “From Evaluation to Action,” explored the board evaluation process, and the third, “Evalu...

Boards often face a choice between experienced experts and engaged learners. This article demonstrates how a growth mindset, active participation, and curiosity drive stronger board performance than skill alone.

Would you rather have a Nobel laureate who won’t engage, or a curious newcomer who asks the right questions?

This isn’t just hypothetical — it’s a real dilemma many boards face. As governance challenges grow more complex and stakeholder expectations rise, the composition of the board...

This blog explores what 'fit' really means in the boardroom. It explains how boards must balance cultural alignment with the need for diverse perspectives and constructive challenge.

Recently, I worked with a board of directors to prepare a list of potential interview questions for prospective board members. The questions were carefully selected to try to uncover candidates’ ‘Three C’s’ – competence, character, and chemistry.

The first two C’s are fairly obvious. Competence questions focus o...

In complex board decisions, there is rarely a single “right” answer. This post explains how considering opposing viewpoints strengthens analysis, improves dialogue, and enhances decision quality.

One valuable skill for board directors in any organization is the ability to consider an issue from multiple perspectives.

Being able to see both sides of any issue allows us to thoroughly evaluate risks and benefits, balance stakeholder interests, anticipate challenges and objections, and make info...

This blog explains how directors can better understand and challenge management reports. It outlines what high-quality board reporting looks like and how to ensure reports provide insight, not just data.

How can directors possibly know what is going on in the organizations they serve? After all, while management spends all their time immersed in operations and strategy, board members spend a comparatively small amount of time on their board duties and seldom step outside the boardroom.

That ...

Disagreeing in the boardroom is not only acceptable, it’s necessary for good governance. This article explores how directors can express dissent, contribute to better decisions, and still support the board with one voice.

“It’s really hard to publicly support the board’s decision when I personally disagree with it.”

Yes, that’s a tough one for a well-intentioned board director who cannot support the will of the majority of board members. But is it necessarily a bad thing to vote against a mo...