Leadership Lounge: How to Be an Effective Board Director When Everything Is On Fire

Board directors operate in an environment of high complexity and volatility. The question isn't whether crises will occur—it's whether directors have the skills, judgment, and relationships to navigate them effectively.

In this episode of Leadership Lounge, we talk to two of our trusted advisors—Gwenael Quere and Ted Dysart—who share their perspectives on:

• The key skills effective board directors utilize during periods of sustained uncertainty
• When it's appropriate to step in versus trust management to handle critical decisions
• How to balance individual perspective with building board consensus during volatile moments
• The best approach for managing competing demands when serving on multiple boards facing simultaneous challenges

"One key trait is being able to ask the right questions, but also ask those questions in the right way. If a director gets into a meeting and starts asking questions that feel like a trap, the management team will just shut down."

-Ted Dysart 

Leadership Advisor, Russell Reynolds Associates

Four things you'll learn from this episode

1. Staying calm, exercising sound judgment, and leading with empathy are three essential traits needed by board directors to effectively navigate volatility.
2. How to get the balance right between being deeply informed and engaged without crossing the line into managing the business during a crisis. 
3. Why you must support your CEO’s wellbeing during prolonged stress. A CEO who can’t think clearly is a risk to the entire organization.
4. Structured post-crisis reflection builds organizational resilience—boards that capture and institutionalize lessons from crisis experiences perform better in the future.

In this episode, we will cover:

(01.50) The key skills board directors should utilize during sustained volatility

(03.31) The art of asking the right questions without creating traps for management

(05.44) How to decide when to step in versus when to let management handle critical decisions

(09.45) Balancing individual perspective with creating board consensus during periods of volatility

(11.16) How to manage time and energy when serving on multiple boards facing simultaneous challenges

(13.42) How directors can remain mentally sharp and objective during prolonged uncertainty

(15.28) Why directors should never let a good crisis go to waste