209. To what extent do we agree on to whom we owe a duty? (Question #7)

This season, every episode of OMG focuses on a question that directors really need to answer. OMG is written, produced, narrated and scored by Matt Fullbrook.   TRANSCRIPT: Question #7: To what extent do we agree on to whom we owe a duty? I’ve been blabbing on about this in some form or another for more than 10 years. It’s been the subject – directly and indirectly – of a bunch of OMG episodes going back to episode 4. Still, I’ve never been disappointed by a boardroom discussion about who stands to be affected by our decisions and, among those who are affected, to whom do we owe the greatest duty. Notice that I’m talking about who is affected rather than just talking about who benefits. There’s no decision a board will ever make that is universally good for every affected party. Life is trade offs. When I wrote that sentence it seemed so obvious that it must have been said or written by someone famous somewhere. Turns out it’s seemingly been said or written by everybody ever, because it’s so true. Anyway, whenever your board needs to engage in a decision of any consequence, taking a few minutes to think about the individuals and groups – both inside and outside the corporation – that stand to be affected, and then taking another few minutes to ask “among these affected parties, to whom do we owe the greatest duty?” You can even take the whole list and rank them. You might even take a few minutes to decide what, exactly, you mean by the word “duty.” Anyway, that 15ish minute conversation is likely to be your best use of time in the whole meeting.