I want to tell you something I have never put in writing before. When I first joined the board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, I knew I belonged there. My background said I belonged there. I had spent years in public leadership, I understood...

  Most people think about board service in terms of the full board. The meetings. The votes. The formal decisions. But here is what most aspiring directors do not realize until they are already inside: The real work of a board happens in the committees....

  It has everything to do with what you ask. Most new directors walk into their first few meetings believing credibility comes from having answers. From demonstrating expertise. From showing the room what they know. That’s how most executive environments work....