(LONG) Governing in Turbulent Times

Look, we're living through some pretty wild times. If you thought pre-2025 was a bit VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous), this year has been a humdinger. 

Politics feels like a daily soap opera, the climate crisis isn’t going away, everyone still seems exhausted, and technology appears to be changing faster than most of us can keep up. If you're on a board of directors right now - of any type of entity - it probably feels like you're constantly putting out fires, jumping from one challenge to the next.

And, that’s where the truth lies…many boards are drowning because they've forgotten the reasons they exist in the first place. 

And I don’t mean legally.

What is a Board’s Purpose?

When I say purpose, I don't mean an organisational mission statement or maximising profits to shareholders. I mean the reason your board matters. The thing that should guide every decision you make.

Think of it like this. When everything’s a challenge, purpose is your compass. Without it, you end up making knee-jerk decisions, freezing up completely, or just going through the motions to look busy. 

Boards exist to steer companies toward long-term value. However, iin turbulent times, it’s all too easy to lose sight of how a board adds value. It’s certainly not a constant state of reactivity. My antidote? The relentless focus on the board’s purpose as the source of authority, legitimacy and impact.

When boards default to a company-centric view of “how do we serve shareholders?” or “how do we manage risk?” they fail to ask a deeper question of “what is the board here to do, regardless of internal and external pressures?” A clear board purpose is the north star that can align every discussion, every decision and every crisis response.

Where most boards actually are (spoiler: it’s not great)

Imagine if boards had their own version of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. If you need a refresher visit this useful site. Whilst Maslow is about the motivations of human behaviour, my version - illustrated below - is the motivations of board behaviour. 

Most are stuck at the bottom, just trying to survive in compliance:

Let me break it down for you.

• Bottom level: Following the rules.

• Next up: Getting along and creating inclusion for all the views 

• Middle ground: Deeper enquiry and planning ahead

• Getting somewhere: Learner mindset, experimenting, and growing

• Top level: Really making a difference, being brave enough to lead. 

The problem? 

Most boards I come across rarely make it past level two. They're so busy checking boxes and keeping everyone happy that they forget to actually lead. I’ve met boards that have made it consistently to level three, and even four, but maintaining this is hard. Really hard.

The three ways turbulence messes with your head

When I was researching my Maslow for Boards model, I was witnessing patterns in the boardroom. These include:

1. Panic: When something goes wrong, we make quick decisions based on fear. Sure, we might save some money by cutting programs or staff, but we might also gut what makes our organisation special. If fear is too strong a word for you, it probably manifests in other ways like high stress, combative conversations, higher turnover and more.

2. Micromanagement: We keep telling ourselves things will go back to "normal" soon. Meanwhile, everyone else is moving forward and you're standing still. You get stuck in analysis paralysis, getting too deep into the details, second-guessing management. This can give us a feeling of safety as we are “on top of things”.

3. The Theatre of Governing: We do all the right-looking things - brainstorming workshops, long reports, third-party reviews, colourful dashboards - but nothing actually changes. We cannot admit to ourselves that we might not have the answers, so we look busy, but fail to really get anywhere.

Unfortunately, each of these traps distract the board from its longer term purpose.

From "So what!" to "Now what?"

If you are nodding along and relating to my words, you’d be right to ask me what (the hell) you can do about it.

Pick your next board meeting. Look at the agenda and create space for a conversation about Board Purpose. Assuming you are one of the majority of boards that don’t have an existing Board Purpose Statement, your Chair can then facilitate a conversation about about why the board exists, beyond the legal and textbook definitions. 

For one board I sit on - a startup biotech company - our purpose right now is clear: Guide the company to a Series A fundraising round. This might sound reductive but there is a lot of depth behind this simple statement. There’s also a lot of empowerment and focus. Once we are beyond Series A, our board’s purpose will change. 

We already know our Board's Purpose!

If this is the case for you, well done, you are already streets ahead of the rest. That doesn;t mean you aren’t prone to slipping during turbulent times. 

My advise? Follow these four steps:

1. Before a board meeting, add an agenda item at the top called “Board Purpose Review”. 

2. Invite someone (rotate this) to restate the board’s purpose in 10–15 seconds.

3. For each major agenda item, ask, “How does this advance our board’s purpose?” and “Does this item mean we are adding value to the company?”

4. Capture the outcome and review your future agendas based on the feedback. Focus on those agenda items where there was a positive response. 

This simple ritual will build the habit of board purpose-alignment. Over time, the board’s purpose informs material decisions rather than being an afterthought.

Climbing up Maslow for Boards

So my One Thing this month is to use the “Maslow for Boards” as a mirror on your Board:

• Are you still in survival mode, oversight, or have you moved into real foresight?

• Is learning baked into your board or are you stuck in a static periodic review?

• Are you courageous enough to take all the steps necessary to be the best versions of yourself as a board, and its members. Actively safeguarding your long-term value?

Remember, your Board should exist to do more than rubber-stamp management decisions. Your role is to challenge, to connect the dots, to see past the here and now, and to create something that can weather any storm and doesn’t get sidelined by our VUCA world.