The Day Expertise Stops Being Enough

I have rarely sat in a board meeting where expertise was missing.

Most of the time, the opposite is true. The people around the table are experienced, the preparation is thoughtful and everyone involved is trying to fulfil their responsibility.

And yet there are moments when a question enters the room and something starts to shift. Everyone is trying to do their part well. Everyone wants to contribute their knowledge and protect the responsibility they were entrusted with.

And still, the conversation starts losing direction.

Not because people do not understand the complexity.

Because they understand it from their respective expertise.

I have learned to pay attention to the moment when this happens.

The conversation continues. The arguments still make sense individually, but they no longer create clarity together. Everyone is acting from a genuine intention to protect what they are responsible for. And yet I sense that we are moving towards a decision we may not be able to stand behind later.

That is usually the moment when I speak up.

Not because I already know the answer, but because I have learned to trust that moment of hesitation. When something feels slightly out of place, it is worth understanding why before moving forward.

Those moments require courage.

Because nothing is obviously wrong. No mistake has been made. Everyone has done their work. But allowing a decision to continue on the wrong foundation can quietly change the institution long after the meeting has ended.

Sometimes the most important contribution is not another solution.

It is creating the space to understand what we are really deciding.

A question about structure may actually be about trust. A discussion about risk may reveal a question of identity. The issue presented on the agenda may not be the one that needs the most attention.

That is where judgement begins.