The 5 Behaviors That Make Boards Confident in Your Leadership

A few years ago, I sat in on a board meeting as an observer. About fifteen minutes into the management presentation, I watched the familiar shift happen. One director checked the clock. Another closed their binder with a quiet thud. A third stared down at their notes, no longer tracking what was being said.

At the break, one of them turned to me and privately said, almost apologetically, “I stopped listening around slide ten.”

I wasn’t surprised. My years at a Fortune 5 company and later working closely with executives and boards, have shown me this pattern many times. It wasn’t that the presenters weren’t smart or prepared. It was that they weren’t giving the board what they needed: clarity, candor, and a sense that leadership saw the full landscape.

That meeting, along with hundreds of executive conversations since, helped me build a custom workshop I taught recently on how boards build confidence in leaders. And the five behaviors I emphasized in that workshop are the ones I’ll share here—

because they show up again and again in the executives that boards trust the most.

1. Speak honestly about challenges

Boards hear polished updates all day. What they rarely hear is the clean, unvarnished truth. Directors consistently say that the fastest way to lose their confidence is to dodge the hard part. When executives use safe phrases like “there’s some noise in the data” or “we’re monitoring the situation,” boards hear avoidance.

They notice the gap between what is said and what is actually happening. In the 2024 PwC Annual Corporate Directors Survey, fewer than 40% of directors said their management teams communicated emerging risks clearly and early. 

Speaking honestly about challenges doesn’t require theatrics. It sounds like: “We missed our hiring target. Here’s why, and here’s what changes next quarter.” Or: “The regulator’s questions indicate deeper scrutiny than we expected.”

One director once told me, “I don’t need perfection. I need to know what’s real.” When executives provide that, boards shift from suspicion to partnership. 

2. Identify problems before they escalate

Boards trust leaders who spot issues while they’re still small. If the first time directors hear about a problem is when it’s already a crisis, confidence drops.

Spotting problems early looks like a CISO flagging a rise in small phishing attempts and pushing for investment before a major breach hits. Or it could be the head of operations admitting that a vendor delay is minor now but could become serious if not addressed within two weeks. It might look like a compliance leader bringing a near-miss and explaining how the underlying process will be strengthened.

Boards don’t expect leaders to prevent every issue. They expect leaders to see the early smoke and speak up. Executives who do this well tend to use grounded, factual framing: “Here’s what we’re seeing, here’s why it matters, and here’s what we’re doing.”

3. Frame issues in terms of business impact

Executives often describe their work in functional language. Boards think in enterprise language. That gap creates frustration. When a board member says, “I can only remember three to five things,” they’re reminding you that details aren’t helpful unless they’re tied to outcomes.

Consider the contrast:

“We updated our policy, rolled out training, refreshed the intake system, and completed audits.”

vs.

“We closed a regulatory exposure with seven-figure penalty potential, raised training completion to 94%, and cut investigation time by 40%.”

Same work, different message.

Boards need to understand how something affects revenue, cost, risk, reputation, or strategic options. When executives frame issues this way, they show they can think like the enterprise.

4. Maintain direct communication channels

Board confidence isn’t built only during formal meetings. It builds in every interaction you have with board members. Executives who maintain steady, transparent communication tend to earn deeper trust. They don’t overwhelm directors; they provide clean, timely touchpoints that prevent surprises and keep oversight aligned.

Good direct communication looks like having a pre-meeting call with the committee chair to walk through the hardest questions or sending a brief update when something material shifts: “Here’s what changed; no action needed yet.” 

When executives create a clean information flow, the board feels informed rather than anxious.

5. Show up consistently and prepared

Board trust forms through patterns. Directors notice who sends pre-reads on time, who opens with a clear point of view, who can explain complex issues simply, and who follows through. Consistency signals maturity and preparedness signals respect.

I once heard a board chair say she watches how executives handle the first three questions because “that’s where you see whether someone really understands their business.”

Over months and years, consistency becomes reputation. When directors know what to expect from you—clarity, readiness, steadiness—they trust your judgment even when the news isn’t good.

The throughline: clear, early, real

Across these five behaviors, the theme is simple. Boards don’t need executives to be flawless. They need leaders who tell the truth clearly, see problems early, frame issues in business terms, maintain open communication, and show up prepared.

When you do these things, you make it easy for the board to have confidence in your leadership.

That day I sat in on the board meeting and watched attention fade by slide twelve, it wasn’t disinterest. It was noise drowning out the signal. Leaders earn trust when they protect the signal.