Understanding the Board
Vitaly Gariev via Unsplash
Too often, we assume we know what a Board member is supposed to do. We transpose our experience as operators, managers, or founders onto a role that, in truth, requires a very different kind of presence. A kind of presence that listens more than it speaks. One that governs more than it manages. One that watches the system from a higher perch, rather than diving in to fix.
And yet, that distinction is easy to blur. Especially for high-achieving leaders who are used to solving problems, moving fast, and being deeply in the mix. (Guilty.)
If you've ever served on a Board — or considered inviting one into your business — it's worth pausing to ask: Do we really understand what this role is for? And are we equipped to occupy it skillfully?
At its core, Board service is about governance, not operations. That sounds simple, but it has profound implications. Governance means oversight, stewardship, and fiduciary responsibility. It means asking the right questions, not offering the right answers. It means holding the organization (and often the CEO) with care and clarity, not running the business for them.
And crucially: it means listening.
Nancy Kline, in her brilliant book Time to Think, describes listening as the most potent form of attention we can offer. She says that the quality of everything we do depends on the quality of the thinking we do first — and the quality of that thinking depends on the quality of attention we receive.
Boardrooms, in this light, should be spaces of high-quality attention. Not performative debate. Not rushed decisions. But intentional, spacious thinking. Listening that allows deeper, truer understanding to emerge. Not just of the business, but of the people leading it.
This kind of listening takes discipline. It takes humility. And it takes a firm grasp of context. Because governance doesn't look the same everywhere.
Listening Our Way Into Better Governance
The nuance of Board service changes dramatically depending on the nature of the organization:
In privately held companies, Boards often serve as strategic partners and trusted challengers. Their role is to support growth while protecting long-term value.
In family-owned businesses, dynamics of legacy, trust, and intergenerational transition come into play. Governance must hold both head and heart.
ESOPs require Boards to navigate the dual lens of ownership and employee engagement. They must ensure fiduciary care while honoring the participatory spirit.
Public companies operate under intense regulatory scrutiny. Governance here must balance shareholder interests, market dynamics, and ethical accountability.
Non-profits bring an entirely different accountability — to mission, donors, beneficiaries, and the public good. Here, governance must be attuned to purpose as well as performance.
Each of these contexts calls for a different kind of listening. A different sensitivity to risk, capital, culture, and consequence.
If you're stepping into a Board role, or building one around your business, start here:
Listen first. Listen fully. Listen with the intent to understand, not to fix. (Yes, even if you're very good at fixing.)
And then ask yourself: What kind of thinking is needed here? What kind of governance will truly serve this organization at this moment in time?
Because great Boards don't just steer. They create the conditions for wise steering to occur.
And often, that starts not with what they say — but with how they listen.
Also: snacks help. Just saying.
