CHAPTER 2

Understand the Role

Stewardship Thinking

How a person approaches board service and thinks about the role of director really matters. Is there a proper metaphor to describe the job?

In my experience, the best directors think of themselves as stewards. They ensure careful and responsible management of the company or organization with which they have been entrusted. They are tough-minded monitors of and thoughtful advisors to those charged with managing. As representatives of owners and stakeholders, they insist on high performance and strive to grow value through prudent risk taking. As stewards, they consider matters not through the lens of self-interest but through the lens of what is best for the organization they oversee.

The metaphor ...

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