This is the first, brief post based on this morning’s program at  Boston’s Seaport Hotel sponsored by National Association of Corporate Directors–New England.  (Disclosure: I am on the Advisory Board to, and Secretary of, NACD-New England).

At the end of a program during which three major business leaders opined as to the near-term future of aspects of American business, an audience question in substance was this: “Given all the changes and issues upcoming, what should a company be looking for when building out its board?”

Answer: an expert in “disruption.”  Given the numerous factors mentioned (AI, state of the world, upheaval in labor markets and in real estate,  interest risk, geopolitical threats), it would be best to add someone who can think about the future in terms of the unexpected.  Implicit in this advice is that current board members, from an inside vantage point and often with deep knowledge in only one or two areas (financial, industry, science, HR, geopolitics, whatever), may miss how multiple factors come together and create a problem not identified in any one information silo.

In any matrix for analysis of board needs that I have seen,  mentioning board gaps to be filled, while I have seen “risk” mentioned I have never seen a board need articulated almost in a sci-fi manner; the specific word used was someone who thought in “scenarios.”.  Without second-guessing a distinguished panel (everyone well above my pay grade, for sure!), I do wonder about how that putative board member would fit into the tone and congeniality that boards strive for in order to avoid needless diversions and frictions.

For anecdotal summary of several interesting highlights from the panel discussion, see next following post