Smooth board meetings can be a red flag. When everything runs clean (no friction, no debate, every vote passing fast), it’s worth asking: Where did the real conversation happen? Early consensus-building can be a double-edged sword; meaning that sometimes it’s effective and sometimes it’s not. In some environments, it sharpens thinking and keeps things moving. […]
The leaders who govern best are rarely the ones with all the answers. A board that reaches consensus quickly without challenge may be moving fast toward the wrong conclusion. The most effective board leaders I have worked with understand this, and they actively invite differing views rather than manage around them. Yet at the same […]
What if the biggest risk to your board right now is playing it too safe? Instead of guarding against disruption, are you missing the chance to potentially be a disruptor who opens new opportunities? Take Risk is the second principle inside Take Six, and it builds directly on the first. Before a board can assess […]
It might be tempting to let AI do the reading for you. It can organize information and move you through complex material faster. For someone stepping into a governance role, that can feel like the smart choice. What experience teaches is that the judgment you are being asked to bring cannot be outsourced to a […]
The best boards operate with a strategic compass. That compass has a name: Take Stock. It is the first of six habits in my book Take Six, and it is where purposeful board leadership begins. Taking stock is a vision and situational awareness exercise. Ask yourself: ➡️ What is actually happening in your industry and […]
Inclusion without accountability is aspirational. Accountability without inclusion is transactional. Leadership today demands both. Over the past several years — particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic — many leaders experienced a profound shift in what accountability really means. Accountability expanded beyond performance metrics and quarterly results. Suddenly, leaders were responsible for people’s health, livelihoods, and well-being. […]
Today, few topics in the business world feel as charged—or as misunderstood—as diversity, equity, and inclusion. In some circles, DEI has become synonymous with policies, programs, and the unavoidable political debate. Framing DEI that way is too limiting. It pulls us away from the truth that, at its core, inclusion is about people and must […]
At the 2025 ACC Annual Meeting, Andrew Ross Sorkin was asked a deceptively simple question: Are there qualities of leadership that stand out as leaders navigate crisis? His answer cut through the noise. “Look,” he said, “in the end, there’s only one thing that matters, which is trust. We’re all in the trust business. That is the business. And […]
In every leader’s journey, there are people who shape us—mentors who guide us, coaches who challenge us, and, if we’re fortunate, sponsors who open doors we couldn’t unlock on our own. Over the years, I’ve been both the mentee and the mentor in those relationships. I’ve learned that mentorship helps you grow, but sponsorship can change your […]
Last month, we experienced a seismic shift: The in-house legal profession’s premier global gathering, the ACC Annual Meeting, returned to pre-pandemic throttle at a time when global trade imbalances have taken a toll on business travel. More than 1,900 in-house counsel filled conference halls of Philadelphia, my hometown, and where I began my own in-house […]
