Some time ago, Jeffrey Janssen published the article The Elephant in the Boardroom, about seven boardroom dilemmas that quietly bring organisations to a halt, unless someone names them. The piece struck a nerve: many executives recognised the patterns of avoidance, false consensus and unspoken tension.
Since then, Jeffrey has shared short reflections on the same theme on LinkedIn, inspired by The Elephant in the Boardroom by Edgar Papke. Those posts are now collected in a new e-book: eight compact lessons on leadership, tension and the truth that too often stays off the table.
Why this book
The problem in organisations is rarely conflict. The problem is what we avoid. That is the core of the book. Conflict is not a sign of weak leadership, it is a sign of real leadership. Avoidance may feel sensible in the short term, but it makes the bill more expensive later.
Eight lessons covered in the book:
- Conflict is not a sign of weak leadership, but of real leadership
- Not conflict, but avoidance makes the bill more expensive later
- Self-awareness comes before intervention
- The leader sets the norm, not the PowerPoint
- Intent determines whether a conversation feels like an attack or an invitation
- Listening is not a soft skill, it is an instrument of power
- Understanding comes before commitment
- Commitment is more than compliance
This is not management theory, it is a mirror: for every executive, director or management team that recognises when tension gets smoothed over instead of addressed.
→ Download the e-book for free: The Elephant in the Boardroom
Recognise this in your boardroom?
Our partners at CFO Netwerk guide leaders and management teams who want to break these patterns. As an interim CFO or boardroom adviser, we bring calm, direction and sharpness, and help facilitate the conversation that has been avoided for too long. We combine financial reality with human dynamics, and say what needs to be said. Not out of harshness, but out of responsibility.
Which dilemma plays out in your boardroom? What is being avoided, while everyone feels it?
A good conversation often starts simply. Feel free to get in touch for a no-obligation, confidential introduction, at the table or via Teams. No commitments, no complicated process. Just a good conversation, direct and without frills.
