Managing Difficult Directors

Published in the May–June 2026 issue of Harvard Business Review, this article identifies three disruptive director archetypes—passive passengers, dominators, and misguided experts—whose behaviours stall strategic discussion, erode trust, and slow board decisions. Effective boards are shown to combine explicit expectation-setting, early peer feedback, and structural levers such as agenda sequencing and speaking order to steer participation productively. For SEA founders scaling into governed structures, this provides a concrete toolkit for the Chair or lead independent director to protect boardroom dynamics before dysfunction becomes embedded in culture.