As companies face continued geopolitical, technological, strategic, and even leadership volatility, boards are tasked with updating their own knowledge and skills. As they do so, directors are increasingly called on to embrace a less-prioritized skill: empathy.

Taking an empathetic approach to working with employees and leaders as they navigate change, in addition to showing generosity toward other aspiring directors when searching for board roles, enables stronger relationships, fosters trust, and inspires success.

These are just some of the themes that defined the first day of NACD Directors Summit^™ 2025, the premier annual conference that brings together the governance elite to shape the future of boardrooms. The event is being held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in the Washington, DC, area through Oct. 15, 2025.

Here are some takeaways from sessions held on Oct. 12. Note: Panelists participated under the Chatham House Rule.

Embrace "permanent transformation" when overseeing strategy. To do this, board oversight of strategy must evolve from static, annual planning to a dynamic, continuous process that anticipates disruption. That means directors should regularly reassess the company’s risk appetite, leadership capabilities, and technological readiness to stay ahead. While actively and consistently engaging with management, they also should embrace continuous learning, challenge the status quo, and understand that the “long term” is no longer years away, but mere months around the corner. 

Create trust to navigate executive leadership transitions. Boards that thrive in periods of transition are those that foster strong relationships with management and ongoing discussions around risk and strategy. Directors should view risk as an opportunity while ensuring leadership teams are equipped for continuous transformation. That includes careful consideration of compensation strategies and clear communication of key performance indicators to management. 

Adopt a “fail fast, learn faster” mindset for AI implementation. Boards should encourage management to implement agile artificial intelligence development through project pilots that adopt a “fail fast” method. To accomplish this, management should develop an empathetic implementation approach that explores both efficiency and transformative AI applications and considers employee impact. This includes defining clear, nonfinancial objectives for AI initiatives where direct return on investment may be elusive, focusing instead on strategic value creation. 

Align compliance teams with the board's AI learning curve to establish flexible guardrails. Risk and compliance teams should be integrated into board discussions from the outset of AI initiatives, fostering a proactive approach to develop guardrails that enable rather than hinder agile innovation. This early collaboration, coupled with transparent documentation of management's AI decisions, allows for the board to identify potential blind spots. Additionally, boards should encourage management to integrate "shadow AI" initiatives, or employees’ use of unauthorized AI tools, into the organization's AI strategy to transform organic creativity into compliant and company-wide practices.

Conduct a self-assessment, define a clear value proposition, and be generous to land a board role. Leveraging connections with people an aspiring director does not know or have much in common with is crucial for uncovering opportunities and securing recommendations for board roles. These individuals should remember that board interviews are a two-way street, and they should seek to find a truly good role fit rather than forcing an opportunity. And when a role isn’t the right fit, potential board members should consider recommending other aspiring directors to build goodwill.

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