Boards Don’t Need Fireworks. They Need Focus.

A company can be busy and still go nowhere.

Multiple workstreams, dashboards and initiatives may signal effort, but they don’t always create value. Often, they just create noise.

Real transformation is a paradox:

You need to show movement, to reassure shareholders and buy time, while making sure that what you do actually matters. Weak CEOs manage optics. 

Strong CEOs manage outcomes. That’s where the board comes in.

Boards shouldn't applaud activity. They should interrogate it. Cut through the smoke. Identify the two or three initiatives that truly move the value needle and give them relentless backing.

Peter Drucker said it well: the best factories are boring. Nothing explodes, nothing surprises… they just deliver, predictably. Some companies run like that. Others run on fireworks. I know where I’d invest.

In the end, strategy isn’t about doing more. It’s about choosing what not to do.

Simple. Clear. Focused. Wins.