Dear Crucial Skills,

I’m the chair of an organization and someone on the board is leaking information. Someone made a derogatory comment about a person in a board meeting, and someone on the board told that person. I have addressed the issue of confidentiality before, so this is a violation of that expectation. Leaks like this undermine board trust and other relationships. How should I approach this?

Signed,
Leaky Board

Dear Leaky Board,

You’re right to take this issue seriously. This is a material violation of trust that undermines the board’s ability to deliberate about sensitive issues. Each board member must be willing to place their commitment to board integrity and organizational interests over their kinship with particular employees. For the purposes of my response, I will assume you have unassailable evidence that the leak came from a board member. If so, I suggest the following.

Address It Privately

If you know who the offending board member is, confront them privately. Consult legal counsel about whether you should do it in company with one other board member. Share the evidence of their breach of board integrity then invite them to respond. Listen sincerely but without allowing easy dismissal of the compelling evidence. But be open to persuasive mitigating information that could come to light in the course of the conversation.

Repair or Resign?

If they acknowledge some level of impropriety, you must decide whether remediation is possible and preferable. Is the board member such a significant asset that even with damaged trust they are worth keeping? Is the board member willing to acknowledge error with those who have been harmed (the board and those individuals affected)? Weigh your responses to these questions in your deliberation about whether to ask them to resign or remedy the situation—and what form the remedy should take.

Investigate Thoroughly

If you don’t know who the offending board member is, raise the issue with the board, including sharing the evidence of breach of confidence. Ask for the board’s views on both the severity of and appropriate response to the incident. If they agree that it is a material breach of trust, and an issue worth pursuing to resolution, you might propose an appropriate investigation process. Even if the investigation is inconclusive, you will have still sent a message to board members of the seriousness with which such violations will be addressed.

The best case scenario is that someone who erred acknowledges it and commits to do better. The second best outcome is for the undiscovered offender to be put on notice by your vigorous response that board integrity is a value you will fight for.

I wish you the best in restoring trust to your board. The best boards and teams I’ve worked on are ones where it’s okay to be human. Mistakes are understood, but improvement is expected.

Sincerely,
Joseph