Redefiners – Leadership Lounge: How to Be an Effective Board Director When Everything Is On Fire

Date: November 5, 2025
Hosts: Emma Coombe (Moderator), Gwenelle Carre, Ted Dysart
Podcast: Redefiners by Russell Reynolds Associates

Episode Overview

This episode of "Leadership Lounge" explores the complexities and best practices of effective board directorship during times of acute crisis. Leadership advisors Gwenelle Carre and Ted Dysart join Emma Coombe to share practical guidance, personal anecdotes, and actionable strategies for board directors managing extreme volatility—whether in the form of abrupt management changes, cyberattacks, or industry-wide disruptions. Discussion centers on crisis governance, striking the right balance between oversight and interference, and maintaining personal and collective effectiveness under pressure.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Essential Traits for Crisis-Era Board Directors

• Calm, Judgment, Empathy: Gwenelle Carre identifies these as the core traits board members should demonstrate when facing crises.

  “The key traits that [board directors] find particularly helpful are the ability to stay calm, having good judgment, but also a dose of empathy.”
  — Gwenelle Carre [01:50]

  • Calm facilitates clear prioritization and productive relationships with executives.
  • Empathy maintains morale and collaboration during stressful times.
  • Good judgment guides directors in assessing when to challenge, support, or defer to management.

• Staying Current and Sharing Perspectives:

  “Staying current… allows you to share that best practice, to bring other perspectives on how others are handling similar situations.”
  — Emma Coombe [02:44]

  • Board members who are engaged across sectors can share relevant best practices from diverse experiences.

The “Art of Questioning” and Constructive Oversight

• Asking the Right Questions the Right Way:

  “Directors are there for oversight on behalf of shareholders, but also to make the management team better. If a director gets into a meeting and starts asking questions that feel like a trap, the management team will just shut down.”
  — Ted Dysart [03:30]

  • Board interactions should foster constructive, rather than adversarial, dynamics.
  • Productive tension between support and challenge delivers value to both board and management.

• Diversity of Skill Sets:

  “It’s key that you have the right non executive directors around the table with a diverse range of experiences…”
  — Emma Coombe [04:08]

• Case Study Reference:

  • Boeing 737 Max crisis illustrates pitfalls of insufficiently probing questions or lack of relevant expertise on boards. [04:30-05:20]

Knowing When to Step In – The Board/Management Balance

• Non-Executives: Know Your Role

  “It’s really important for [board directors] to remember that fundamentally their role is non executive. They do… have an important and active role to play.”
  — Gwenelle Carre [05:44]

  • Non-execs should be accessible, responsive, and leverage their external networks for the benefit of the executive team.

• External Peer Networks in Crisis:

  “[Directors’] external perspective and the network... is highly valued by the executives... e.g., during a cyber attack when the chair introduced [the CEO] to another CEO who had gone through the same thing.”
  — Gwenelle Carre [06:45]

• Principle of “Noses In, Fingers Out”:

  “Directors need to follow the principle of noses in and fingers out. But fingers out doesn’t mean the directors are not informed…”
  — Ted Dysart [07:36]

  • Be actively engaged, but avoid crossing into micromanagement.
  • Step in decisively only for existential threats or if management loses confidence.
  • Help management slow down and reflect under pressure.

• Warren Buffett Quote on Leadership Under Pressure:

  “It’s only when the tide goes out that you can discover who’s been swimming naked.”
  — Emma Coombe [08:29]

Achieving Board Consensus and Deliberation

• Chair’s Role in Orchestrating Debate:

  “The chair has a crucial role to play here, orchestrating the board, making sure that every board member contributes their expertise… and manage the discussion to a conclusion in a timely manner.”
  — Gwenelle Carre [09:44]

• Cabinet Responsibility:

  “You can and should debate vigorously in the boardroom. But once a decision is made, everyone needs to be aligned.”
  — Emma Coombe [10:14]

• Information Flows: - Between meetings, proactive one-on-one discussions help build consensus and address “big gap” issues (e.g., whether to change CEO/CFO). [10:14]

Managing Competing Demands Across Multiple Boards

• Time and Capacity Management:

  “If you are on three or more boards, one of your boards is likely in some form of crisis all the time… Not showing up for meetings isn’t an option. So boards and directors need to figure out how they’re going to delegate responsibilities…”
  — Ted Dysart [11:16]

  • Investment in relationships and preparedness allows directors to function well, even under strain.

• Guidance Against Overboarding:

  • Proxy agencies count “points” for directorships; overboarding is discouraged (4-5 points seen as a red flag).
  • Private/PE-backed boards may be more demanding than public, despite not being “counted.” [12:14]

• Good Non-Execs Don’t Often Feel Overstretched:

  “If you’ve been an executive in the past… having to step up occasionally to a different level of intensity shouldn’t feel like a problem.”
  — Emma Coombe [12:47]

Sustaining Mental Sharpness and Objectivity During Prolonged Uncertainty

• Wellbeing Focus:

  “The chair in particular has an important role to play in ensuring that the CEO is coping well with the stress and is able to think clearly.”
  — Gwenelle Carre [13:42]

  • Board members should recognize the pressures on executives and look for ways to provide support—a walk outside, a safe space to vent, or encouraging mentorship.

• External Mentorship:

  • Chairs often encourage CEOs to seek outside mentors for perspective and resilience. [14:47]

The Importance of Reflection and Learning After Crisis

• Structured Reflection and Institutional Learning:

  “The learning that happens after a sustained period of volatility is often more valuable than the response during it. But without structured reflection, those lessons get lost in the relief of moving past the immediate challenge or crisis.”
  — Ted Dysart [15:27]

  • Boards should document key decisions, rationale, and lessons learned to build organizational memory and resilience.

• Notable Story:

  “A director once told me… he realized that he’d shut down any conversation or discussion by sharing his viewpoint so forcefully… In hindsight, he called the lead director and asked him to reopen the conversation…”
  — Ted Dysart [15:43]

• Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste:

  “As Winston Churchill once said, never let a good crisis go to waste.”
  — Ted Dysart [16:47]

• Crisis Creates Bonds:

  “Incredible friendships are formed, remarkable bonds, when these groups of non executive directors and management have worked through incredibly tough times together…”
  — Emma Coombe [16:52]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Calmness, good judgment and empathy form the foundation of crisis leadership at the board level.”
  — Emma Coombe [02:44]

• “Directors help [management] take a pause and breathe in those moments.”
  — Ted Dysart [07:36]

• “Noses in, fingers out. Be deeply informed and engaged, but don’t cross the line into managing the business during periods of volatility.”
  — Emma Coombe [16:20] (recap)

Important Timestamps

• [01:39] – Key crisis skills: calm, judgment, empathy (Gwenelle Carre)
• [03:30] – Asking the right questions, the right way (Ted Dysart)
• [05:44] – When to step in vs. trust management (Gwenelle Carre)
• [07:36] – “Noses in, fingers out” principle (Ted Dysart)
• [09:44] – The chair’s role in creating consensus (Gwenelle Carre)
• [11:16] – Managing multiple boards, time commitments (Ted Dysart)
• [13:42] – Board’s responsibility for executive wellbeing (Gwenelle Carre)
• [15:27] – Structured post-crisis reflection (Ted Dysart)
• [16:47] – “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” (Winston Churchill quote)

Key Takeaways

• Stay calm, exercise sound judgment, and lead with empathy in crisis.
• Directors should be deeply engaged—probing and supportive—while respecting their non-executive boundary (“noses in, fingers out”).
• Effective questioning and constructive board-management relationships deliver value in turbulent times.
• The chair plays a decisive role in orchestrating debate and ensuring consensus.
• Overboarding is increasingly scrutinized—directors must manage their commitments wisely.
• Board members must look after their own and executives’ mental resilience, providing support and perspective.
• The most valuable learning comes after the crisis, through structured, honest reflection and documentation.
• Bonds forged during periods of shared adversity can last careers.

For aspiring and current board directors, this episode offers not only framework and philosophy, but also practical tactics for maintaining effectiveness when “everything is on fire.”