Finally, good governance perpetuates and harnesses passion from its leaders and various constituencies on behalf of organizational purpose. It extends beyond the assembly and utilization of intelligent and well-connected individuals. Fully effective leaders in governance must be motivated by heart-felt burning to achieve organizational purpose, as articulated by the organization’s mission statement. But beyond this burning passion, each leader, and all leaders collectively, must understand and accept the fact that the nature of group decision making will require compromise or rejection of individual opinions and directional preferences from time to time. Therefore, humility must accompany every board member’s ego. Each must accept the concept that group decision making provides a necessary balance to individual thinking, even though poor group decisions sometimes result. Intelligent and persuasive debate, which is the responsibility of all board members, constitutes the necessary antidote to poor group decision making.
