Three Areas Where Boards Spend Their Time But Don’t See Results

In today’s rapidly shifting business landscape, boards are simultaneously learning to navigate through unprecedented complexities while facing expectations to deliver sound advice for sustainable growth. Boards are under a range of intense pressures (Figure 1), including understanding cybersecurity and data privacy implications (66% of board directors identify this as a top three operational risk concern), […]

Mar 16, 2025 - 14:32
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Three Areas Where Boards Spend Their Time But Don’t See Results
Posted by Rusty O’Kelley and Rich Fields, Russell Reynolds Associates, on Sunday, March 16, 2025
Editor's Note:

Rusty O’Kelley is a Managing Director, and Rich Fields is the Head of Board Effectiveness Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates. This post is based on a Russell Reynolds memorandum by Mr. O’Kelley, Mr. Fields, Laura Sanderson, Gretchen Anderson, Joy Tan, and PJ Neal.

In today’s rapidly shifting business landscape, boards are simultaneously learning to navigate through unprecedented complexities while facing expectations to deliver sound advice for sustainable growth. Boards are under a range of intense pressures (Figure 1), including understanding cybersecurity and data privacy implications (66% of board directors identify this as a top three operational risk concern), steering through political and regulatory risk (44%), and overseeing organizational change (38%). As their behaviors, decisions, and actions impact key aspects of the organization, the need for boards to deliver meaningful results is more urgent than ever.

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