How Better Boards Navigate Disruption and Transformation

Strategic errors rarely begin as obviously bad decisions but emerge when a strategy outlives the assumptions on which it was built—and leaders fail to recognize that disruptions or transformations have changed the game.

In this episode of C-Suite Perspectives, Sara Murray, Managing Director, International at The Conference Board, speaks with Vincent Giolito, Professor of Strategy and Organization at emlyon business school and Senior Fellow at The Conference Board, about how boards can identify strategic errors before they threaten the future of the company.

They discuss why boards must continually test strategic assumptions, recognize weak signals, and understand transformation as an ongoing process rather than a single event. They also explore the competencies boards need beyond financial expertise, why directors require "progressive lenses" that let them examine both operational details and the wider business landscape, and how ruthless empathy can help boards support CEOs while still challenging them when necessary.

More from The Conference Board:

Board Readiness in 2026

Corporate Governance in an Era of Sustained Disruption

Modernizing Board Governance for Today's Risk Environment

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