Imagine a wooded landscape.  Bright sky and distant peaks.  A forest rises in the foreground.   All life blends into one.  But look closer and you see the trees standing alone.  Look closer again, and you see things hiding.

Nature provides a metaphor for re-framing the way we think about boards and executives:   

• When directing, the board is focused on what lies beyond the forest

• When leading, executives are focused on the forest   

• When managing, executives are focused on the tree

• When assuring or governing, the board is focused on finding the danger hidden behind the trees

If your organisation was a forest, where would you look?

I'll be sharing my insights at 10th Australasian Better Boards Conference, to be held in Melbourne on July 29-31 2016.

Considered the largest regular gathering of leaders from the for purpose sector in Australasia, the goal of the conference is to give board members, chairs, CEOs and senior managers practical solutions to take back to their organisations.