On Governance: Agility in Your Boardroom
Our Cookie Policy has been updated! The Conference Board uses cookies to improve our website, enhance your experience, and deliver relevant messages and offers about our products. Detailed information on the use of cookies on this site is provided in our cookie policy. For more information on how The Conference Board collects and uses personal data, please visit our privacy policy. By continuing to use this Site or by clicking "OK", you acknowledge our privacy policy and consent to the use of cookies.  Our Privacy Policy has been updated! Detailed information on the use of cookies on this site is provided in our cookie policy and our privacy policy. 
TCB Tourch
Loading...
  • logoImage
  •  
    • US
    • EUROPE
    • ASIA
  • 2

    Close
    • Insights
        • Insights
        • Explore by Center
          • Explore by Center
          • CED
            Committee for Economic Development

          • Economy, Strategy & Finance

          • Governance & Sustainability

          • Human Capital

          • Marketing & Communications

        • Explore by Content Type
          • Explore by Content Type
          • Reports

          • Upcoming Webcasts

          • On Demand Webcasts

          • Podcasts

          • Charts & Infographics

        • Trending Topics
          • Trending Topics
          • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

          • Navigating Washington

          • Geopolitics

          • US Economic Forecast

          • Sustainability

          • Future of Work

    • Events
        • Events
        • Upcoming Events
          • Upcoming Events
          • People First: Opportunity and Access

          • CHRO Summit: Navigating through a Tsunami of Change

          • Future: People Asia

          • Executive Compensation in a Disruptive World

          • CED Distinguished Leadership Awards Celebration

          • The 2025 IBI/Conference Board Health and Productivity Forum

          • Explore all Upcoming Events

        • Member-Exclusive Programs
          • Member-Exclusive Programs
          • Center Briefings

          • Experts Live

          • Roundtables

          • Working Groups

          • Expert Briefings

    • Data
        • Data
        • Consumer Confidence Index

        • Data Central

        • TCB Benchmarking

        • Employment Trends Index

        • Global Economic Outlook

        • Leading Economic Indicators

        • Help Wanted OnLine

        • Labor Markets

        • Measure of CEO Confidence

        • Human Capital Benchmarking &
          Data Analytics

        • CMO+CCO Meter Dashboard

    • Centers
        • Centers
        • Our Centers
          • Our Centers
          • Committee for Economic Development

          • Economy, Strategy & Finance

          • Governance & Sustainability

          • Human Capital

          • Marketing & Communications

        • Center Membership
          • Center Membership
          • What Is a Center?

          • Benefits of Center Membership

          • Join a Center

    • Councils
        • Councils
        • Find a Council
          • Find a Council
          • Economy, Strategy & Finance

          • Governance & Sustainability

          • Human Capital

          • Marketing & Communications

        • Council Membership
          • Council Membership
          • What is a Council?

          • Benefits of Council Membership

          • Apply to a Council

    • Membership
        • Membership
        • Why Become a Member?
          • Why Become a Member?
          • Benefits of Membership

          • Check if Your Organization is a Member

          • Speak to a Membership Associate

        • Types of Membership
          • Types of Membership
          • Council

          • Committee for Economic Development

          • Economy, Strategy & Finance

          • Governance & Sustainability

          • Human Capital

          • Marketing & Communications

          • Insights

        • Already a Member?
          • Already a Member?
          • Sign In to myTCB®

          • Executive Communities

          • Member-Exclusive Programs

    • About Us
        • About Us
        • Who We Are
          • Who We Are
          • About Us

          • In the News

          • Press Releases

          • Our History

          • Support Our Work

          • Locations

          • Contact Us

        • Our Community
          • Our Community
          • Our Leadership

          • Our Experts

          • Trustees

          • Voting Members

          • Global Counsellors

          • Careers

          • This Week @ TCB

    • Careers
    • This Week @ TCB
    • Sign In to myTCB®
      • US
      • EUROPE
      • ASIA
    • Insights
      • Insights
      • Explore by Center
        • Explore by Center
        • CED
          Committee for Economic Development

        • Economy, Strategy & Finance

        • Governance & Sustainability

        • Human Capital

        • Marketing & Communications

      • Explore by Content Type
        • Explore by Content Type
        • Reports

        • Upcoming Webcasts

        • On Demand Webcasts

        • Podcasts

        • Charts & Infographics

      • Trending Topics
        • Trending Topics
        • Artificial Intelligence (AI)

        • Navigating Washington

        • Geopolitics

        • US Economic Forecast

        • Sustainability

        • Future of Work

    • Events
      • Events
      • Upcoming Events
        • Upcoming Events
        • People First: Opportunity and Access

        • CHRO Summit: Navigating through a Tsunami of Change

        • Future: People Asia

        • Executive Compensation in a Disruptive World

        • CED Distinguished Leadership Awards Celebration

        • The 2025 IBI/Conference Board Health and Productivity Forum

        • Explore all Upcoming Events

      • Member-Exclusive Programs
        • Member-Exclusive Programs
        • Center Briefings

        • Experts Live

        • Roundtables

        • Working Groups

        • Expert Briefings

    • Data
      • Data
      • Consumer Confidence Index

      • Data Central

      • TCB Benchmarking

      • Employment Trends Index

      • Global Economic Outlook

      • Leading Economic Indicators

      • Help Wanted OnLine

      • Labor Markets

      • Measure of CEO Confidence

      • Human Capital Benchmarking & Data Analytics

      • CMO+CCO Meter Dashboard

    • Centers
      • Centers
      • Our Centers
        • Our Centers
        • Committee for Economic Development

        • Economy, Strategy & Finance

        • Governance & Sustainability

        • Human Capital

        • Marketing & Communications

      • Center Membership
        • Center Membership
        • What is a Center?

        • Benefits of Center Membership

        • Join a Center

    • Councils
      • Councils
      • Find a Council
        • Find a Council
        • Economy, Strategy & Finance

        • Governance & Sustainability

        • Human Capital

        • Marketing & Communications

      • Council Membership
        • Council Membership
        • What is a Council?

        • Benefits of Council Membership

        • Apply to a Council

    • Membership
      • Membership
      • Why Become a Member?
        • Why Become a Member?
        • Benefits of Membership

        • Check if Your Organization is a Member

        • Speak to a Membership Associate

      • Types of Membership
        • Types of Membership
        • Council

        • Committee for Economic Development

        • Economy, Strategy & Finance

        • Governance & Sustainability

        • Human Capital

        • Marketing & Communications

        • Insights

      • Already a Member?
        • Already a Member?
        • Sign In to myTCB®

        • Executive Communities

        • Member-Exclusive Programs

    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Who We Are
        • Who We Are
        • About Us

        • In the News

        • Press Releases

        • This Week @ TCB

        • Our History

        • Support Our Work

        • Locations

        • Contact Us

      • Our Community
        • Our Community
        • Our Leadership

        • Our Experts

        • Trustees

        • Voting Members

        • Global Counsellors

        • Careers

        • This Week @ TCB

    • Careers
    • Sign In to myTCB®
    • Download TCB Insights App
  • Insights
    Insights

    Our research and analysis have helped the world's leading companies navigate challenges and seize opportunities for over 100 years.

    Explore All Research

    Economic Indicators

    • Explore by Center
    • CED
      Committee for Economic Development
    • Economy, Strategy & Finance
    • Governance & Sustainability
    • Human Capital
    • Marketing & Communications
    • Explore by Content Type
    • Reports
    • Upcoming Webcasts
    • On Demand Webcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Charts & Infographics
    • Trending Topics
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
    • Navigating Washington
    • Geopolitics
    • US Economic Forecast
    • Sustainability
    • Future of Work
  • Events
    Events

    Our in-person and virtual events offer unmatched opportunities for professional development, featuring top experts and practitioners.

    See Everything Happening This Week

    Sponsor a Program

    • Upcoming Events
    • People First: Opportunity and Access

      June 12 - 13, 2025

      CHRO Summit: Navigating through a Tsunami of Change

      June 24, 2025

      Future: People Asia

      September 04 - 05, 2025

    •  
    • Executive Compensation in a Disruptive World

      September 16 - 17, 2025

      CED Distinguished Leadership Awards Celebration

      October 08, 2025

      The 2025 IBI/Conference Board Health and Productivity Forum

      October 16 - 17, 2025

    • Member-Exclusive Programs
    • Center Briefings
    • Experts Live
    • Roundtables
    • Working Groups
    • Expert Briefings
    • Explore by Type
    • Events
    • Webcasts
    • Podcasts
    • Member-Exclusive Programs
    • Center Briefings
    • Experts Live
    • Roundtables
    • Working Groups
    • Expert Briefings
  • Data
    Corporate Disclosure Data

    TCB Benchmarking

    Real-time data & analytical tools to benchmark your governance, compensation, environmental, human capital management (HCM) and social practices against US public companies.

    Economic Data

    All Data

    See current direction and trends across key indicators

    Consumer Confidence Index

    US consumers' thoughts on the economy, jobs, finances and more

    Data Central

    One-stop, member-exclusive portal for the entire suite of indicators

    Labor Markets

    Covering all aspects of labor markets, from monthly development to long-term trends

    Measure of CEO Confidence

    Examines the health of the US economy from the perspective of CEOs

     

    Recession & Growth Trackers

    See the current and future state of 16 economies.

    Global Economic Outlook

    Track the latest short-, medium-, and long-term growth outlooks for 77 economies

    Leading Economic Indicators

    Track the state of the business cycle for 12 global economies across Asia and Europe

    Help Wanted OnLine

    Track the status of job markets across the US through online job listings

    Other Featured Data

    Human Capital Analytics Tools

    Tools to understand human capital management and corporate performance

    CMO+CCO Meter Dashboard

    Tracks the impact, resources, and satisfaction of CMOs and CCOs

  • Centers
    Centers

    Centers offer access to world-class experts, research, events, and senior executive communities.

    Our Centers
    • Committee for Economic Development
    • Economy, Strategy & Finance
    • Governance & Sustainability
    • Human Capital
    • Marketing & Communications
    Center Membership
    • What Is a Center?
    • Benefits of Center Membership
    • Join a Center
  • Councils
    Councils

    Councils are invitation-only, peer-led communities of senior executives that come together to exchange knowledge, accelerate career development, and advance their function.

    Find a Council
    • Economy, Strategy & Finance
    • Governance & Sustainability
    • Human Capital
    • Marketing & Communications
    Council Membership
    • What Is a Council?
    • Benefits of Council Membership
    • Apply to a Council
  • Membership
    Membership

    Membership in The Conference Board arms your team with an arsenal of knowledge, networks, and expertise that's unmatched in scope and depth.

    • Why Become a Member?
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Check if Your Organization is a Member
    • Speak to a Membership Associate
    • Types of Membership
    • Council
    • Committee for Economic Development
    • Economy, Strategy & Finance
    • Governance & Sustainability
    • Human Capital
    • Marketing & Communications
    • Insights
    • Already a Member?
    • Sign in to myTCB®
    • Executive Communities
    • Member-Exclusive Programs
  • About Us
    About Us

    The Conference Board is the global, nonprofit think tank and business membership organization that delivers Trusted Insights for What's Ahead®. For over 100 years, our cutting-edge research, data, events and executive networks have helped the world's leading companies understand the present and shape the future.

    Learn more about Membership

    • Who We Are
    • About Us
    • In the News
    • Press Releases
    • Our History
    • Support Our Work
    • Locations
    • Contact Us
    • Our Community
    • Our Leadership
    • Our Experts
    • Trustees
    • Voting Members
    • Careers
    • This Week @ TCB
Check if You're a Member
Create Account
Forgot Your Password?

Members of The Conference Board get exclusive access to the full range of products and services that deliver Trusted Insights for What's Ahead ® including webcasts, publications, data and analysis, plus discounts to conferences and events.

Environmental, Social & Governance Briefs

Timely insights from the Governance & Sustainability Center

  • Email
  • Linkedin
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Copy Link

On Governance: Agility in Your Boardroom

November 07, 2018

On Governance is a series of guest blog posts from corporate governance thought leaders. The series, which is curated by the Governance Center research team, is meant to serve as a way to spark discussion on some of the most important corporate governance issues.

Contemporary boards must govern with greater foresight and work ahead of the organizations they oversee. Many cannot.

The gap between a board’s capacity for discovery and deliberation vs. operating management’s marketplace grasp, decisiveness, and pace of execution seems to be widening despite more than a decade of “red flags,” governance education and board renewal effort. Too often, “slow” boards are surprised and unprepared to effectively deal with crisis events; they can unknowingly leave their operating management outflanked by competitors and activist investors. Their board chairmen are often ill-suited to lead agile board processes, compete against aggressive well-informed investors, nor able to shape a nimble, “ready-to-win” company.

Boards are increasingly challenged to be “alert and agile” stewards of their shareholders’ interests. When a so-called “agility deficiency” captures the courage, the culture, and slows the deliberative and operational pace of contemporary organization, the company quickly finds itself on the slippery slope of decline. It is unable to work ahead of the organization it oversees.

The more common features of boards who are not agile are:

  • Over-reliant on hindsight; unprepared to pursue foresight;
  • Inwardly focused; commercially and strategically opaque;
  • Distracted by side issues and backward-looking analysis;
  • Collegial and well-intentioned chairs unwilling to grasp “new realities,” refresh board members, or drive change.

When a board isn’t agile, we see that it is penalized by the public markets; activists’ investors begin to poke around. Take note of recent woes at General Electric. Its board failed to ascertain and govern alternatives paths to value effectively and failed to adjust the company’s strategy and leadership when misdirection became obvious to investors via stock pricing. It is accurate to assert that GE was opaque in its candor and guidance.

At Tesla, a truly innovative company, the board finally took action and sought outside advice and yet, questions remain whether this board has the “muscle” and agility enough to guide this entrepreneurial company given its founder’s influence. Meanwhile, until a new board page is turned, confidence in the future of Tesla is in question. Reflecting this risk the stock price has lowered due to governance uncertainty.

The “difference-makers” of agile boards

Below, we share from our experiences the “difference-makers” in assisting boards and individual directors become more alert and agile stewards.

Alert and agile boards:

Use penetrating, informed questions…..not just “wandering around” queries

An agile board is a well-informed one. Sound questioning techniques by directors are at the core of being well-informed and in control of deliberation.

Questioning skills are essential in board/management discussion and decision-making. Sound questions by directors provide invaluable benefits. Targeted, informed questions guide deliberations; they teach lessons of experience and judgment; and thoughtful questions are used to test management’s understanding and agreement.

Being well informed has two sides: collecting information as we discussed above is one side. But agile directors must also have the background to decipher and integrate information gathered via their astute questions. Knowing what information to go after and what to do with the information gathered is an essential “package.”

Engage in independent discovery of the marketplace, capital markets, and emerging regulatory issues

Agile directors must be alert and active learners who seek out both familiar and diverse channels of input to gain broad perspective of the market and likely future paths. Consequently, they often see marketplace opportunity and emerging issues before competitors and use this intelligence to shape strategy and guide management.

During boardroom discussion, agile directors are able to bring relevant and a well-integrated understanding of socio-political- economic macro trends alongside more traditional understanding of the competitive space in which their company operates. Taken together, their insight tends to lift a board’s sights from strictly a reaction to today’s challenges to fully debating and considering how best to evaluate and prioritize activities and resources (human and capital) to chart a path toward value creation.

Are profoundly disciplined with their time and attention

While encouraging independent, full-spectrum deliberation, chairs of agile boards appreciate the importance of time management. They are careful about ascertaining the priorities that they must govern. They avoid the “spin cycle” of continual discussion by establishing and observing ground rules of decorum but with a clear understanding of the outcomes that must be sought and how they must guide their CEO and support such efforts. Agile board chairs know when enough is enough, time and contributions permitting and when it isn’t. An agile Chair promptly drives their board to the “finish line” of debate and onward toward the future.

Are the first to know…..not the last to be told

Directors who “tune” themselves to heed faint signals and perceive risk or opportunity demonstrate agility. Surprises are never welcomed.

A sound working relationship with the company’s internal audit function is perhaps an unexpected “difference maker” of an agile board as it attempts to steer clear of surprise. Protecting the company against risk and crisis as well as anticipating compliance and regulatory violations can free up a board’s time and attention for more strategic pursuits. A prudently organized annual audit agenda can proactively spotlight a company’s vulnerabilities and control real and reputational damage.

Refresh the board when directors’ roles are completed

Agile boards are most likely not suitable for directors with expectations for perpetual board service. In contrast, a more active approach to board refreshment is a common theme among agile boards. Agile boards do seek directors with different perspectives nevertheless relevant to the current times and challenges. In evaluating current directors and inviting others for election, chairs and nominating committees make clear to each director and candidate that unless they are relevant and contributing, they will not be re-nominated.

Ensure the corporate vision continues to inspire passion, enthusiasm, and a quest for noble pursuits

Vision commences with clear, logical, and often noble thinking about future possibilities. The logic in a vision should cause stakeholders to think and believe. The emotion component in the vision must drive stakeholders to act.

Shaping the strategic vision is the core role of directors. However, managing the communication of the strategic vision is often neglected by boards and their management teams. Crafting the message and then backing up the message with appropriate decisions and reinforcing behavior requires a board to attend to those matters that seem important to customers, investors, employees, regulators, and wide-ranging stakeholders. Investors’ Relations is often at the center of this activity.

Wrap up

The implications seem clear. Boards must not just govern better, they must lead differently. Time is not often on their side. And, directors are unlikely to contribute their time beyond 200-300 hours per year. It’s not about working harder and longer.

They must be skilled in forming a transformative board coalition to assess their company from an “outside-in” perspective. Chairs must take a more active and agile approach to their role and navigate their boards toward value creation. Indeed, all contemporary directors must be prepared to think both short and long-term like an activist investor guiding business transformations.

Boards are expected to be more alert and foresighted. They must be prepared for more rapid situational assessment, faster reaction time and creative solutions for creating value and representing shareholders’ interests.

Agility is the critical competence for directors to gain footholds, strategically, operationally, and managerially… to assure their shareholders are well served.

The views presented on the Governance Center Blog are not the official views of The Conference Board or the Governance Center and are not necessarily endorsed by all members, sponsors, advisors, contributors, staff members, or others associated with The Conference Board or the Governance Center.

Download Brief
Great News!

You already have an account with The Conference Board.

Please try to login in with your email or click here if you have forgotten your password.

  • Download
  • Download Brief

Authors

Patrick Dailey

Patrick Dailey

Co-founder

Read BioPatrick Dailey

Joel Koblentz

Joel Koblentz

Founder

Read BioJoel Koblentz

More From This Series

Brief

80 Years of Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy Leadership

November 27, 2023

Brief

How CEOs and Boards Can Enhance Digital Trust

April 04, 2023

Brief

Reaching Net-Zero Emissions

January 31, 2023

Brief

Why Support for Political Activity Proposals is Declining

June 21, 2022

Brief

70% of Environmental Shareholder Proposals Going To Vote

May 20, 2022

Brief

First 2022 Racial Equity Audit Proposals Successful

March 22, 2022

View Less View More

Conference Board Sample Web Chat
chatbot-Icon TCB Logo
chatbot-Icon
Navigating Washington - Sign up to receive the latest business insights related to executive orders, new laws, and changing regulations.
ABOUT US
  • Who We Are
  • Annual Report
  • Our History
  • Our Experts
  • Our Leadership
  • In the News
  • Press Releases
MEMBERSHIP
  • Become a Member
  • Sign In to myTCB®
  • Access Experts
  • Member-Only Events
  • Data & Benchmarking
  • Manage Account
EXPLORE
  • Centers
  • Councils
  • Latest Research
  • Events
  • Webcasts
  • Podcasts
  • This Week @ TCB
CONTACT US
  • Americas
    +1 212 759 0900
    customer.service@tcb.org
  • Europe/Africa/Middle East
    +32 2 675 5405
    brussels@tcb.org
  • Asia
    Hong Kong | +852 2804 1000
    Singapore | +65 8298 3403
    service.ap@tcb.org
CAREERS
  • See Open Positions
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Event Code of Conduct | Trademarks
© 2025 The Conference Board Inc. All rights reserved. The Conference Board and torch logo are registered trademarks of The Conference Board.
The use of all The Conference Board data and materials is subject to the Terms of Use. Reprint requests are reviewed individually and may be subject to additional fees.The Conference Board reserves the right to deny any request.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Event Code of Conduct | Trademarks
© 2025 The Conference Board Inc. All rights reserved. The Conference Board and torch logo are registered trademarks of The Conference Board.
The use of all data from The Conference Board data and materials is subject to the Terms of Use. Reprint requests are reviewed individually and may be subject to additional fees.The Conference Board reserves the right to deny any request.

Thank you for signing up. You will now receive CEO Insights for What's Ahead every Wednesday morning. You can unsubscribe at any time or manage your preferences to receive more content from The Conference Board.

Announcing The Conference Board AI Virtual Conference Series

Explore the Impact of AI on Your Business

Members receive complimentary registration - Learn more >>