149. Great board chairs are like great dinner hosts

Let's let go of comparing board chairs to orchestra conductors. A dinner host is a way better analogy.

 

SCRIPT

Back in episode 91, I made an argument against comparing great board chairs to orchestra conductors. But if an orchestra conductor isn’t a good analogy, what is? I think I have something. It’s not perfect, but to me it’s a much better description of an excellent chair. Imagine you arrive at a dinner party. The lighting is comfortable, the temperature is right. The host takes your coat, puts a drink in your hand, and skillfully introduces you to someone you don’t know with a fun conversation prompt. By the time you’ve had a chance to meet everyone, dinner is served. The food is delicious, and beautifully paired with the wine. The conversation flows. There is disagreement – maybe even tension – but everyone feels comfortable to participate and nobody feels attacked. You learn a lot. More than you expected. And before the conversation loses steam, the evening wraps up. You don’t feel too full, or too drunk, or too tired. It might feel a bit like magic, but to the host it was all just intentional and difficult work – before, during, and after the party. The host, of course, is our board chair analog. I know that if you think about it enough you’ll find lots of flaws with the analogy, but none of them as glaring as the orchestra conductor. The dinner host’s work is in service of creating a vibe, of getting the right combination of people engaging with each other in the right ways, of managing countless intersecting variables that may change without notice, and to do so with grace, humour, and empathy. No standing ovation. No spotlight.