When Boards Don’t Lead, They Micromanage
🖤 By Yashica Lind | Executive Strategist | Leadership Performance Advisor
Everyone complains about board micromanagement.
Almost no one talks about where it starts.
Not with ego.
Not with control.
Micromanagement is not the problem.
It’s the symptom.
It shows up when boards lose traction, lose trust, and lose clarity.
And when that happens, they do what most people do when anxious: they grab the wheel.
The issue isn’t that your board wants to control everything.
It’s that no one taught them what real governance looks like under pressure.
And now you’re stuck.
What Boards Don’t Say Out Loud
Boards don’t wake up and decide to micromanage.
It happens slowly—under pressure, under public scrutiny, under the weight of invisible expectations.
What they won’t say out loud is this:
“I’m not sure this plan is real.”
“If this fails, the community will blame us.”
“I don’t feel like I’m contributing unless I’m in the weeds.”
“I don’t fully trust the data—or the executive’s read of it.”
“And I definitely don’t want to look like I missed something important.”
That quiet panic turns into action.
And in the absence of a clear governance roadmap?
Action feels safer than leadership.
So they insert themselves into operations.
Not because they’re controlling—but because they’re afraid.
Afraid of losing control.
Afraid of getting blindsided.
Afraid of being the one who stayed silent.
It’s not oversight.
It’s survival.
The Loop You’re Not Supposed to Name
Here’s how it usually goes:
The board trusts the ED or City Manager completely
Everyone’s upbeat and “on the same page”
A vague strategic plan gets approved
A few months pass. Progress is murky.
The board starts asking more questions
Questions become suggestions
Suggestions become directives
Suddenly, the executive is managing the board instead of the system
Micromanagement isn’t the disease.
It’s the immune response.
Boards don’t know how to lead, so they start managing.
Silence and Overreach Are Not Opposites
In a recent poll, over 80% of senior leaders said the most damaging board behaviors were either micromanagement or silence in meetings.
They sound like opposites.
They’re not.
They’re symptoms of the same breakdown: a board that doesn’t know how to govern in real time.
Boards go silent when:
They’re unclear on their role
They aren’t sure what they’re “allowed” to ask
They assume everything is under control
They think “supportive” means hands-off
They don’t want to look unprepared in front of peers
That silence feels like alignment—until the plan stalls or the numbers slip.
Then the silence flips.
And the panic starts.
Boards that drift early will oversteer later.
Why Performance is Dangerous
When boards stop leading, EDs and City Managers stop telling the truth.
They perform instead.
They share what sounds good instead of what’s real
They anticipate board politics rather than organizational risk
They start hiding early warning signs
They burn energy trying to “manage” the board rather than lead the mission
And when truth gets buried, strategy dies.
You don’t just lose traction.
You lose alignment, reputation and leadership credibility.
You Don’t Need More Training
This isn’t a knowledge problem.
Most boards already know their roles on paper.
What they don’t know is how to lead through friction, uncertainty or incomplete data.
So they either go silent or they micromanage.
You don’t fix that with another “roles and responsibilities” refresher.
You fix it by resetting the pattern.
What We Do (And What It Looks Like)
Here’s how we help boards and leadership teams move out of the loop and into leadership that actually works:
Board Governance Audit: We run deep diagnostics of governance structure, role clarity, committee performance and decision‑workflows.
Executive/Board Alignment Workshop: We bring board chairs, ED/City Manager, and senior leadership into one room to build mutual accountability, shared language and a governance playbook.
Strategic Planning & Implementation Design: We help you co‑design strategy that has built‑in governance guardrails, clear KPIs, and an operating plan linked to roles and board rhythm.
Board Performance Monitoring Program: Quarterly check‑ins, dynamic self‑assessments and real‑time course‑correction systems so you don’t fall back into silence or overreach again.
If your board is stuck in drift or micromanagement, this is the reset you need.
🖤
The Executive Edit
Let’s be honest.
Micromanagement is what boards do when they’re scared.
Silence is what boards do when they’re unsure.
Both happen when no one is really leading.
If your ED, City Manager or CEO is performing instead of solving, your board is drifting instead of governing.
And if no one interrupts that cycle, the strategy will die quietly and your credibility will go with it.
What To Do Now
If you’ve felt this dynamic building, or worse, hiding in plain sight…don’t ignore it.
Send this article to a board member who would hate reading it.
Or reach out directly and I’ll show you exactly what pattern your board is stuck in and how to break it.
We don’t fix behavior.
We reset systems.
That’s how micromanagement stops.
That’s how strategy starts working again.