I have sat on many boards of directors, and since many, dare I say most, have been mediocre at best, I’ve become passionate about how to make them highly functional. Because of this, I recently had a conversation with a founder CEO, let’s call him, Joe, who asked me how to get rid of a particularly problematic board member, let’s call him Alex.

“Well, I need more context. Tell me about Alex” I asked Joe, the CEO.

Joe replied, “Alex used to be an ideal board member. He read all the materials in advance, he came prepared to the meetings with thoughtful insights, and he debated appropriately. He made a handful of high-value introductions and helped me think through some major issues. Alex was one of my best board members¹”. 

“But recently, Alex’s behavior changed drastically—arriving late, being combative, asking questions we covered 15 minutes ago, and spending board meetings on his phone. He yelled at me during our last meeting, making things intolerable. What’s the best way to fire him?

I responded, “Have you asked Alex if he’s okay?”

Blank stare from Joe.

“You know”, I continued, “Since Alex previously was one of your best board members, what has changed? Why is he acting this way? Have you just asked him if he’s alright?”

Joe kicked an invisible pebble with his foot and sheepishly admitted he hadn’t.

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