"On a board, a decision does not end when it is approved. You don't get the reassurance of execution, only the responsibility of watching consequences unfold over time. Boards are often asked to approve decisions framed around efficiency, but efficiency has a habit of externalizing its costs. Control and responsibility are not the same thing. Being on a board is less about owning everything and more about ensuring the health of the organization."
"For most of my working life at Kowloon Motor Bus Company, I have sat slightly to the side of the action. I have been involved in businesses without running them day to day, and that changed me. When you are not the one executing, you lose the comforting illusion that you are in control. At first, that is unsettling. Over time, it becomes clarifying."
"I remember approving what looked like a sensible operational change. The data was solid. The proposal had been carefully prepared. No one objected strongly. But months later, I began to notice subtle shifts - not in the reports but in the atmosphere. Conversations became shorter. Tension crept into places it had not been before. None of it was dramatic enough to trigger alarms, but it was there."
Board service requires observing decisions after approval and bearing responsibility for their long-term effects rather than execution. Efficiency-driven proposals often push costs onto others and can create hidden organizational strain. Holding a board seat is about ensuring overall health and absorbing pressure, not about owning daily operations or exercising direct control. Important board judgments involve slowing initiatives, choosing restraint, and prioritizing stability over short-term gains. Distance from day-to-day execution reveals subtle cultural shifts and unintended consequences that operational data may not capture. Vigilance, humility, and willingness to delay or reject proposals are essential to preserve institutional resilience.
Read at Entrepreneur
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