An Enter the Boardroom “Wrapped” Insight — drawn from conversations with world-class Chairs, NEDs, CEOs and governance leaders

One of the most revealing patterns from our 2025 conversations on Enter the Boardroom with Nurole was the extraordinary consistency with which senior directors described the behaviours that derail meeting quality, damage culture and diminish trust.

Almost every leader we spoke to — from FTSE Chairs to charity trustees, from PE-backed founders to NHS leaders — had a clear, immediate answer to the question:
“What boardroom behaviour irritates you most?”

And while their language varied, the themes were strikingly aligned. The most frustrating behaviours weren’t the dramatic failures. They were the small, human lapses that accumulate into poor decision-making and weak governance.

Here are the boardroom behaviours that irritated directors most in 2025, based directly on our guest conversations.

Using phones during meetings

Mentioned across multiple episodes, this was the runaway #1 irritation. From John Allan to Dame Marie Gabriel to Sir Douglas Flint, leaders agreed: phones break focus, undermine respect and erode the psychological safety required for honest discussion.

Turning up unprepared

Another dominant theme: arriving without having read the papers.

Directors linked this behaviour to:

• poor-quality challenge
• repeated, time-wasting questions
• loss of trust between board members
• weakened decision-making

Grandstanding 

A universal frustration. Kate Swann, Cindy Rampersaud, Amy Edmondson, Rita Clifton and others drew a clear distinction between contribution and performance. As one guest put it bluntly: “Some people just love the sound of their own voice.”

Intellectual arrogance

A theme voiced by Nadhim Zahawi, Christian Unger, Peter Clark and others.

Arrogance shows up when directors shut down alternative views, assume expertise they don’t have, or treat debate as a competition rather than a collective process

Boards described this as a major barrier to psychological safety and good challenge.

Performative listening 

Doyin Atewologun captured this perfectly: “Someone says something, you say ‘Okay’, and then you move straight on. There’s no build.” Tamara Box added that ignoring others’ expertise “just makes you dumber.”

Irrelevant or excessively detailed questions

Natasha Frangos and others expressed frustration at board members who chase tangents, drill into immaterial details, derail strategic discussion, or pursue personal agendas. Boards consistently emphasised that focus, not volume, is what elevates conversation quality.

Side conversations and whispering

Mark Winlow described this as creating a “cacophony of noise.” It signals factionalism, distracts the room and erodes trust.

Representing a constituency rather than the organisation

As Professor Randall Peterson put it: “I represent X and I don’t care what’s good for the organisation.” This behaviour was widely viewed as incompatible with the fiduciary mindset boards require.

Form over substance

Dido Harding and others expressed strong irritation with directors who hide behind process, prioritise compliance theatre, or focus on box-ticking over impact. Leaders were clear: governance isn’t effective because it looks rigorous. It's effective because it is rigorous.

Surreptitious texting or emailing

A more covert variant of the #1 irritation. Dame Marie Gabriel offered a great way to combat this: “If you’re phone goes off in the meeting, we’re both going to stand up and dance to the tune.” 

What These Behaviours Reveal About Board Effectiveness in 2025

1. Boards place high value on presence.

The most irritating behaviours all share a theme: disengagement. Directors expect full attention. Not multitasking, not performance, not partial involvement.

2. Psychological safety is a board-level metric now.

Behaviours like arrogance, ignoring others and performing undermine openness and candour - the qualities leaders repeatedly told us underpin good challenge.

3. Preparation is non-negotiable.

The modern boardroom moves fast. When directors arrive unprepared, the entire organisation pays the cost.

4. Great governance is cultural, not procedural.

Several guests emphasised that effective boards depend far more on interpersonal behaviour than on formal frameworks. Culture is the hidden engine of good oversight.