Field notes: Governance

Governance is often mistaken for reporting - dashboards, KPI tracking, monthly performance reviews.

Don’t get me wrong. These things matter. But they are reporting, not governance.

Reporting enables governance. It isn’t governance itself.

So what is governance?

It’s checks and balances. It’s tensions surfaced and priorities debated. It’s a process of conversation, not a deck.

A governance discussion might surface interesting and important conversations:

• Are we pursuing this lead-generation approach because it’s working or simply because it’s become habit?

• Should we prioritise brand building this quarter, or sales activation?

• Do we double down on a market that’s responding, or pause and rethink?

These tensions exist in every organisation. Governance is simply the forum where they are raised, addressed, and resolved.

Good governance keeps work on task, ensures different voices are heard, and helps organisations course-correct along the way. An unchecked organisation risks it running amok with false metrics, swayed by subjective agendas, or inflated priority. It's the most important thing!

But governance doesn’t happen automatically.

It requires deliberate design - clear forums, clear roles, and a willingness to bring different perspectives to the same table.

It's often the hardest thing leaders accede to. Yet in my experience, organisations that invest in governance tend to move forward with far greater clarity.