When a board colleague goes rogue: trusted communication and rapport can help reshape negative behavior.

• Author: Atkins, Betsy
• Position: BOARD DYNAMICS

BOARDS HAVE PERSONALITIES. They are either open, interactive, engaged ... or formal, command and control environments. Obviously there are many shades of gray in between, but these predominant board personalities can be significantly impacted by a rogue director.

The problem of a director becoming a rogue who takes on too much power, authority and decision making, or becomes loquacious, disruptive and argumentative, is significantly worsened and exacerbated in a command and control board environment.

Open, engaged board environments are fostered when the lead director makes sure that each member of the board can participate and is heard, and can actively contribute. When all members participate you create a bonding or a "processing as a team," and this positive peer pressure keeps any single member from going rogue in taking too much power, making too many decisions, or becoming argumentative and disruptive.

When a colleague becomes rogue it really is the responsibility of the lead director or governance chair to invest the time to have a series of discussions to help that colleague to modify their negative behavior. There needs to be time invested to gradually bring this colleague back into a productive behavior mode. This can only be accomplished by investing the time to build enough of a trusted communication and rapport to help reshape the negative behavior.

Ultimately, if the rogue...