Five Things the Strongest Boards Do Differently

Drawing on Russell Reynolds' 2025 Global Board Culture and Director Behaviors Study, the piece finds directors understand the behaviors that matter but don't practice them consistently, so effective governance depends on designing the board to make better judgment more likely. A key practice is treating meeting time as a governance choice, pushing passive reporting into pre-reads and reserving meeting time for real discussion. This offers concrete, actionable levers on agenda design, board-pack discipline, and constructive challenge for any board.