New Practices in Board Governance

RID’s CEO has been pushed out. There’s been no public announcement yet, but the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. has lost its CEO once again. Since 2013, we've seen three permanent CEOs and two interims. We're now heading into a third interim leadership period. Add in last year’s abrupt COO departure, and it's clear: RID is in a fragile state. Our organization has suffered for years from changing leadership, shifting priorities, and inconsistent governance. I served six years on the board, have been on more committees than I can count, and have been a member for 26 years. Here’s my hot take on where we are and where we need to go: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙮𝙨𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨. The board is a representative governing body, elected by us. It reflects an unholy mix of apathy (few consider running) and fear (those who do are often attacked). The result? Elections where all it takes to get on the national board is collecting 20 signatures out of 13,000+ members (1/10th of 1%). What needs to change? I'm still processing this news, but something has been clear for a while that remains even truer today- 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. Here's how we can start: 1. 𝙳̲𝚎̲𝚌̲𝚘̲𝚞̲𝚙̲𝚕̲𝚎̲ ̲𝙲̲𝚎̲𝚛̲𝚝̲𝚒̲𝚏̲𝚒̲𝚌̲𝚊̲𝚝̲𝚒̲𝚘̲𝚗̲ Our credentialing system (including CEUs and the ethical practices system) must be governed independently from the board and membership. These functions are too critical to be subject to politics or shifting priorities. 2. 𝚂̲𝚑̲𝚛̲𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚔̲ ̲𝚝̲𝚑̲𝚎̲ ̲𝙱̲𝚘̲𝚊̲𝚛̲𝚍̲ RID struggles to find enough willing, qualified candidates. Eleven board members is too many. A smaller, more focused board would improve our chances for stronger leadership and accountability. 3. 𝚁̲𝚊̲𝚒̲𝚜̲𝚎̲ ̲𝚝̲𝚑̲𝚎̲ ̲𝙱̲𝚊̲𝚛̲ The bylaws should require board members to be free of conflicts of interest, complete mandatory governance training, and commit to following the Policy and Procedure Manual. Too often, these basic standards are ignored with little recourse. 4. 𝙲̲𝚕̲𝚊̲𝚛̲𝚒̲𝚏̲𝚢̲ ̲𝚁̲𝚘̲𝚕̲𝚎̲𝚜̲ The board must adopt a true governance role: “nose in, fingers out.” Provide strategic oversight. But let the staff we’ve hired do the work. We must move away from the culture of each president setting RID’s agenda and slowing progress by turning every issue into a board-level decision. The difficult question is not whether we can survive this latest leadership crisis; it’s 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁. The future of RID depends on it. #governance #interpreting #languageindustry

By 2029, most corporate boards will have turned over—or been rendered obsolete. The cause isn’t AI itself. It’s the exposure AI creates. The 2023 Delaware ruling expanded fiduciary duty from bad faith to negligent oversight. Now combine that with the rise of Causal AI and real-time analytics: boards are being judged not on good intentions, but on what they should have seen—and didn’t. The uncomfortable truth? Most directors aren’t just underqualified. They’re wrong-shaped for what’s next. Boards built for pattern recognition and gut instinct are colliding with a world demanding: • Causal reasoning • Systemic oversight • AI governance literacy What’s coming isn’t a gentle evolution—it’s a mass extinction event in corporate governance. Here’s how it’ll happen: 1. Quiet exits: Retirements masking board attrition. 2. Fiduciary lawsuits: Using AI to surface governance failure. 3. Boardroom copilots: Then dashboards replacing decision-makers. 4. Seat consolidation: Fewer directors, more accountability. 5. Shadow boards: Legal + data + AI stewards stepping in. 6. Regulation: New fiduciary standards most can’t meet. The problem isn’t tech. It’s that causal visibility has destroyed plausible deniability. Capital will follow those who can govern in complexity. Those who can’t will be liabilities. If you’re a board member and can’t explain: • the causal drivers of business value, • the externalities shaping outcomes, • how your company governs AI itself. You won’t be replaced by AI. You’ll be replaced by someone who understands what AI reveals. ⸻ #AI #Leadership #FiduciaryDuty #CorporateGovernance #CausalAI #Boards #RiskManagement #GTM #Strategy Eddie Short John Thompson Bill Schmarzo Samir Sharma Scott Brinker

What if your board of directors operate like a high performing team? In today's dynamic business environment, boards aren't just oversight bodies—they're strategic assets that can make the difference between organizational breakthrough and stagnation. So what are some key factors for board effectiveness in today's VUCA environment? In Reimagining the Board Room, Lori Cashman and Visible Ventures in partnership with in partnership with Cari Sommer of Raise Communications give us an Open Source Playbook for boards, directors, and CEOs, drawn from a collaborative exploration. 13 exceptional directors with nearly 350 years of combined experience across 100+ global boards. We, at the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics (COLE) are excited to be part of this leadership playbook. Read on for recommendations and the "TRY THIS" tips on: 💡 Formation & Alignment: Coach up. All directors spoke to the power of founders and CEOs working with a coach. Some investors write it into their terms sheets because it is table stakes for them. 💡 Selection Process Substance over signal. A tier-one firm’s director may help with hiring, but no brand name alone will solve company challenges. In early stages, don’t mistake prestige for impact. 💡 Culture Encourage open communication. CEOs must feel safe sharing bad news early—seeing it as a chance to improve, not a failure. Tackling issues head-on prevents crises. 💡Teamwork “What does the leadership team development look like? Who are you surrounding yourself with? Do you have people better than you? Where are the areas where the company is most vulnerable?” 💡Leadership Dynamics Nurture the invisible roles. Look beneath the expertise matrix to also account for relational emotional skills. For example, to make a team effective, there are a set of invisible roles that can be rounded out. These include the catalyzers–these people possess the ability to ask provocative questions that take the thinking to the next level. The glue people who create emotional connections among the team. The integrators who can synthesize the different viewpoints towards a cohesive whole. And the mentors, who are carriers of the culture. 💡Choreography Share pattern recognition. Experienced directors provide steadying guidance by contextualizing challenges and sharing insights from similar company trajectories. What board practices have you seen drive the most meaningful impact? Share in comments below Contributors include Carolyn Everson Rob Cohen Lisa Donahue David Fife Maggie Chan Jones Ronald Kasner Lisa M. Shalett Susan Sobbott Alyson (Friedensohn) Watson Cassie Young Dana Mead Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP The Ricciardi Group #BoardLeadership #CorporateGovernance #InnovationStrategy #VisibleVentures #LeadershipExcellence #Leadership #SuperpowerswithSanyin Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business

In a world where talent is the greatest risk and also the greatest asset, the CHRO may be the most undervalued seat at the table. In 2025, the most strategic conversations in the boardroom don’t just revolve around revenue or risk—they revolve around people. Yet too many boards still treat the CHRO as a guest, not a guide. The Conference Board’s latest report confirms what many of us have long known: The CHRO is not just the leader of the HR function, but they’re also a key architect of corporate resilience, succession, and culture. 7 graphics below. One clear message: Boards that embed CHROs into core governance outperform. Why? Because talent is the lever. And CHROs hold it. Key takeaways: • CHROs are now central to CEO succession; not just as executors, but as architects of readiness • Leading boards are inviting CHROs to every meeting, not just when there’s a “people issue” • Strong boards are also adding independent, non-executive directors with deep expertise in talent, culture, and human capital strategy, not just finance and ops execs. The best boards learn from their CHROs because they understand: leadership strategy is business strategy. As someone who’s advised CEOs, C-suite teams, and boards for years, I’ll say it plainly: It’s time to elevate the CHRO from advisor to agenda-setter. Because strategy without talent is just a wish. Swipe through these 7 visuals. Then ask yourself: Does your board truly partner with its CHRO…or just call when there’s a crisis? Let’s make the shift before the next disruption forces it. _______________ If you find this interesting and want to learn more, stay tuned for my upcoming conversation on LinkedIn Live with Douglas Parks. If you want to explore strategies to help your organization, call me

As a board member, I’ve seen the same pattern time and again: the biggest mistakes don’t happen due to a lack of answers, but because the right questions were never asked. In a landscape where AI is rapidly advancing, the same principle applies. The board’s role isn’t to know how to code, but to know what to ask — to anticipate risks and guide responsible decisions. Here are some critical questions every board should be asking: - What risks and opportunities does AI present for our company? - Are we considering AI as part of our compliance and risk oversight responsibilities? - Are we overseeing how our partners and suppliers are using AI? - Do we have the right controls to protect data integrity and privacy? Because without the right questions, there can be no good governance. What questions are being raised in your boardroom as technology transforms business? #CorporateGovernance #ResponsibleAI #RiskManagement #EffectiveBoards #BusinessLeadership

There's a joke about the factory the future: it will be run by one human and a dog. The human's job is to feed the dog. The dog's job is to stop the human touching the machines. AI will replace the work of human operators in many leading companies. But there’s still no compression algorithm for ethical clarity or board governance - oversight can’t be vibecoded. In FT Agenda, the Financial Times' platform for corporate directors, Vilas Dhar and I share a call to action to Board Directors to demonstrate meaningful leadership in AI. As automation speeds up execution and flattens organizational layers, the role of governance becomes even more important. At BCG, we focus on ensuring that the behaviors, judgements and norms of humans are built into every technology loop. Here, we pose five questions every board should answer at their next meeting: 🤖 Where are humans being sidelined? 🧠 What assumptions are baked into our algorithms? 📜 Can we explain AI-driven decisions to regulators—and to ourselves? 🔍 What’s missing because it never shows up on a dashboard? 🗣️ Who speaks up when something feels off? Boards that win in the #GenAI era dont just ask about technology adoption - they explore culture, risk, and responsibility.  They are curious, questioning, and unquestionably human.   Boston Consulting Group (BCG)) BCG Henderson Institute NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors)#BoardGovernance, #ResponsibleAI, #Leadership, #AIEthics, #CorporateBoards, #Strategy, #AIGovernance #futureofwork

I recently read that Gartner predicts 10% of global boards will use #ArtificialIntelligence to challenge executive decisions by 2029. But #boards that focus on using AI tools to guide their work are entirely missing the point. The real issue is that boards are not ready for #AI governance. Most public company boards do not understand the modern value creation chain: how #IT drives process automation, which produces data, which drives business value. This contemporary approach to value production is fundamentally different from the environments in which these leaders developed their expertise. While it's encouraging that board members are finding AI assistance tools useful in daily work, the fact that 10% of boards are using AI tools is irrelevant to the core board challenge: how to shift mindsets, develop #tech acumen, and think about a very different future. These fundamental changes are far more critical. Looking ahead, boards must consider establishing a technology committee, identifying new board members to drive innovation, focusing on board education, and establishing a framework for a tech-focused board.   #BoardGovernance #DigitalTransformation