Take on Board

Helga goes solo: What to do about time sensitive board issues

May 26, 2026·12 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

I wanted to take you inside a scenario that leaves even the most seasoned corporate directors in a cold sweat. The dilemma is this: you’ve just landed your first board seat and are immediately faced with a time-sensitive request for approval of a massive acquisition that the rest of the board has been debating for six months, yet it’s completely new to you.I attended a masterclass on governance hosted by Pioneer Collective, where we broke down this exact challenge. The group initially split between directors who would abstain due to fiduciary duty and those who would request a softer mid-meeting intervention for a quick 5-10-minute background. Many noted that the surprise vote is a major red flag, potentially indicating a failure of board culture, and that the correct move might be to pull the chair aside to take the vote off the table.Upcoming TOB EventsAll eventsYou might want to:Join the Take on Board Facebook communityJoin the Take on Board LinkedIn communityFollow along on TwitterWork with meJoin the Take on Board: Kickstarter group programJoin the Take on Board: Accelerator group programFind out more about me Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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