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

One of the clearest signs of judgment at board level is the ability to evolve.Across our 2025 Enter the Boardroom conversations, directors were asked a deceptively simple question: “What have you changed your mind about over time?”

Their answers form one of the richest datasets of the year. Not because the views were dramatic, but because they revealed the quiet, steady recalibration that separates effective board members from ineffective ones.

Directors changed their minds about process, people, purpose, diversity, time, governance models, board composition and even their own instincts.

Here are the most significant shifts in perspective shared by board leaders in 2025.

From seeing boards as formal bodies to understanding them as dynamic teams

Tamara Box once assumed boards were rigid, procedural and status-driven.
Over time, she discovered they are living, breathing environments where real impact can be made and where relationships matter as much as frameworks.

From believing boards are omniscient to recognising how limited they actually are

Nuala Walsh put it plainly: She used to imagine boards as all-seeing. Now she realises how often power concentrates in the hands of too few — and how easy it is to miss critical signals.

From expecting moral arguments to win to recognising the power of risk-based cases

Dr Doyin Atewologun shifted from advocating diversity primarily on moral grounds to emphasising the cost of not being inclusive. Her insight: boards respond faster to risk than righteousness.

From assuming younger boards would be better to seeing creativity across generations

Professor Alison Taylor once believed generational refresh was the key to better board conversations. Now she sees rigour, imagination and constructive challenge across all ages.

From thinking boards merely receive information to expecting them to actively shape the agenda

Mark Winlow shifted from viewing boards as reporting forums to expecting them to act as active partners supporting the business through mentoring, strategic development, opening doors and so on.

From viewing governance as mostly procedural to recognising that relationships drive performance

Dame Marie Gabriel CBE changed her mind about where the real work happens: She now believes what occurs outside the boardroom often matters more than what happens in it.

From trusting instinctively to challenging more directly

Several leaders, including Eamon Devlin and Richard Meddings, shifted from trusting management too readily to pushing harder, earlier, and with more scepticism.

From assuming boards know everything to recognising how much education they require

Sir Douglas Flint noted that boards must learn continually, not assume inherent wisdom. Directors now see ongoing training, site visits and immersion as core responsibilities.

From believing inclusion is intuitive to realising it is a discipline

Directors like Rain Newton-Smith noted that hearing all voices isn’t natural. it’s a deliberate practice.

From believing silence signals agreement to recognising it often signals discomfort

A major shift across many guests. Board members now ask: Who hasn’t spoken? Why? What view might be missing?

From treating succession as a technical exercise to recognising its emotional complexity

Many directors changed their minds about what makes CEO and chair transitions succeed: chemistry, timing and psychological safety matter more than process.

From assuming board size equals representation to understanding that smaller is more effective

Annemarie Durbin concluded that large boards (15+ directors) rarely function well - smaller groups enable deeper discussion and stronger accountability.

From believing founders should always stay involved to seeing value in fresh challenge

Directors in high-growth environments shifted toward bringing in people who expand perspective, not comfort zones.

From expecting management to always tell the board everything to realising disclosure is selective

Angela Seymour-Jackson articulated this clearly:  Boards only hear what teams choose to share. Board members must create relationships that encourage vulnerability.

From assuming instinct is always reliable to recognising the need for disciplined judgement

Several leaders described moments where instinct alone misled them. Their shift: intuition must be balanced with evidence.

From thinking board members succeed individually to realising they succeed collectively

Directors increasingly see themselves as part of a system: one where their behaviour raises or lowers the performance of the whole board.

What These Shifts Reveal About Board Leadership in 2025

1. Growth mindset is now a defining director competency.

The willingness to revise beliefs signals maturity, judgment and self-awareness.

2. Effective directors learn through friction, not comfort.

Most mindset shifts were triggered by difficulty: failed hires, misjudgments, cultural challenges or moments of misalignment.

3. Boards today value adaptability more than certainty.

The best directors don’t cling to being right; they evolve towards being useful.

4. Governance is increasingly understood as human work.

Many shifts centred on relationships, disclosure, dynamics and culture rather than formal mechanisms.