- by Jane Halford and ChatGPT (it brought the humour)

Let’s be honest.

Board work is time-consuming (hello, four-hour committee meetings), high-pressure (have you tried explaining to a regulator or irate shareholder?), often unpaid (unless you count muffins), and—let’s not sugarcoat it—risky (did someone say 'you need for D&O insurance'?).

So, why would any sane, over-scheduled adult choose to serve on a board?

Why would you want to be a board member... let alone chair of the board! That’s like saying, “You know what sounds fun? Herding a group of type A cats with no attention span.”

And yet, here you are. Still reading. Maybe you're even nodding.
Let’s unpack this noble madness.

1. You like making decisions… with 8 or more other people.

You’ve always dreamed of shaping an organization’s future by reviewing a 1,000 page board package… and then agreeing with 8 or more other humans on what to do about it. 

If your love language is "motion moved, seconded, and carried," congratulations—you are definitely called to be a board member!

2. You enjoy unpaid work that comes with legal liability.

Unlike most volunteer service where you can quietly come or go, board work comes with legislation, accountability, and serious legal requirements. Tricky question...how many laws is your organization subject to and how does the board do that effectively?  

It's like volunteering for a bouncy castle, except the castle is on fire, and someone will definitely ask if you approved the insurance renewal.

3. You love reading... things no one else reads.

Board members read binders thicker than a toddler. You're handed policies with titles like “Risk Mitigation Guidelines: Addendum B” and your job is to pretend to be delighted. Okay...some of you even are.

If you highlight your reports and bring sticky tabs to meetings (physically or virtually), we salute you. If you are the person who asks more than 500 questions in the digital board book before the meeting, you might want to reconsider that.

4. You live for awkward silences.

There’s that moment—after a difficult presentation—when the CEO asks, “Any questions?” Then...the room goes so silent for long that you can hear a governance policy aging.

You? You lean into that silence. You break it with, “Can I just ask a clarifying question about the pension liability assumptions on slide 47?”

You are the lighthouse. The chair and executive team are so thankful for you!

5. You genuinely care.

Okay, jokes aside. You’re in it because you care. You believe in the mission. You want to leave things better than you found them. You don’t shy away from the tough stuff, and you know real impact doesn’t come from the sidelines.

You know the work is hard—and that’s exactly why you do it.

So, why would someone want to be a board member?

Because despite all the time, effort, risk, and eye-roll-worthy acronyms… it matters.

You want to help shape something bigger than yourself. You want to share your expertise, your judgment, and yes—even your calendar—with a group of people who are just as committed as you are.

You’re there for the big picture: the strategy, the purpose, the public good. You know that governance isn’t glamorous, but it is powerful.

And at its best? Board service is shared leadership in its purest form: a collective of people who bring different experiences, challenge each other’s thinking, and hold each other (and the organization) to a higher standard.

You also learn a lot—about strategy, finance, policy, and human behaviour under pressure. (Mostly from that one board member who always “disagrees in principle.”)

You build relationships you’d never make anywhere else, and you get a front-row seat to change—sometimes slow, sometimes messy, always meaningful.

So yes, it’s a lot. But if you’ve ever looked around a boardroom and thought, “These people are weird but I kind of love them,” you’re in the right place.

And hey, the muffins aren’t that bad.

Thinking about joining a board—or already on one and wondering what you signed up for?

Don't worry, you're part of the club where smart, committed folks occasionally ask, “Is it just me, or is this kind of ridiculous?”

It’s not just you. Let's support each other. There is important work to do.

Further Reading

Check out Halford Consulting's Board Services page or send us a note. We promise not to make you chair or anything (yet).

The 4 unexpected benefits of being on a board, Future Directors

Why they still do it- understanding directors' motivations for joining a board, SpencerStuart

Joining a board of directors is a great career move, Corporate Governance Institute

The Benefits Of Sitting On A Company's Board, Forbes