I once worked with a charity that looked spotless from the outside. Reports painted a picture of excellence - but the Chair wrote them, and truth wasn’t her strong suit.

She fabricated, embellished, and even weaponised reports to take aim at partners. One was so outrageous she was forced to rewrite it after smearing a key ally. This wasn’t an accident; it was her habit.

The board barely functioned. Trustees were silent. One was even related to the Chair - a set-up frowned upon in governance because it blurs independence and makes healthy challenge harder. Leadership became a one-woman stage play, with the rest reduced to polite bystanders.

Talent went unused, relationships burned, and the mission itself was compromised. On paper: flawless. In practice: a cautionary tale in how to fail an organisation from the top down.

Governance is your strategy

Here’s the truth: governance isn’t admin. It isn’t a side gig. And it’s definitely not just signing off accounts once a year.

• Governance is strategy in action.

• It’s how values show up in real life:

• how power is shared and challenged

• how decisions are made when things get messy

• how the mission is protected from ego, burnout, or dysfunction

When governance works, it stabilises. It challenges. It stewards impact.

When it doesn’t, it becomes a mask - hiding weak leadership, rubber-stamping poor decisions, and slowly draining the energy out of everyone involved.

Spotting the signs

The warning signs aren’t hidden. We just don’t talk about them:

• Board meetings full of flattery but light on action.

• Chairs who confuse authority with control.

• Trustees who stay silent - or only speak once the real decisions are already made.

• CEOs, Managers and staff with no support, no challenge, and no one asking, “Are you okay?”

• Diversity conversations that never touch recruitment, power, or pay.

• Reports that glow with praise but tell nothing of the truth.

Sound familiar?

We tolerate these things because it’s awkward to name them. Because no one wants to cause a fuss. Because calling out poor governance can feel like biting the hand that feeds you.

But the cost of silence is higher than we admit.

Towards braver boards

Better training helps. So does clarity on roles, responsibilities, and legal duties.

But what we really need are braver boards. Boards that:

• understand the power they hold - and use it with care

• embrace challenge as an act of commitment, not conflict

• make space for lived experience, not just loud voices

• ask hard questions when it’s easier to look away

• centre impact over legacy, and humility over ego

Governance isn’t glamorous. It’s not disruptive. But it is essential. And when it works, it’s transformational.

A closing challenge

If you’re in a position of power - trustee, CEO, or changemaker - you deserve governance that does more than perform.

You deserve rigour. Clarity. Compassion. And above all, accountability.

Because if we want organisations that truly serve the people they’re meant to, it starts at the top. With courage. With honesty. With governance that protects impact.

💬 What’s the best .... or worst - board experience you’ve had?

Let’s normalise this conversation. The sector depends on it.

#CharityGovernance #ThirdSector #Leadership #Trustees #NonprofitLeadership #GoodGovernance #BoardsMatter