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Trusted board leadership: Four signals that separate leaders from managers

June 1, 2026

In this fireside chat from Diligent Elevate 2026, lululemon independent director Kathryn Henry sits down with Dottie Schindlinger, executive director of the Diligent Institute, to explore what trusted leadership actually looks like in the boardroom.

Drawing on her experience across public-company boards, Henry sets out four signals of trusted board leadership:

  1. The courage to let your guard down
  2. The skill of reading what gets left unsaid
  3. The discipline of broader perspective
  4. The orientation toward service that makes hard decisions clearer.

This perspective is for directors, board chairs and senior leaders thinking about what governance excellence requires in practice — not as a framework, but as a daily discipline.

Key takeaways

  • Why leadership is a role of service — and what that orientation does to hard board decisions
  • The governance skill of "reading the unsaid" in the boardroom, and why it matters
  • Why the boards that don't get into trouble are the ones where directors let their guard down
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Join Noelle Russell, founder and chief AI officer of the AI Leadership Institute, as she highlights the critical transition of AI in boardrooms from an emerging technology to a fiduciary responsibility. Discover why 95% of enterprise AI pilots fail, what distinguishes the successful 5%, and the essential trust and oversight required from leadership in the AI era.

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· May 28, 2026

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Explore why AI assurance is a crucial board-level priority as organizations embed artificial intelligence into their operations. Understand the need for clear governance structures, risk management, and oversight in navigating the complexities of AI technology while preparing for regulatory demands like the EU AI Act.

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· May 26, 2026

· 4 min read

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Discover what sets the world’s most ethical boards apart as we explore their unique governance practices, from strong independence and diversity to rigorous evaluation processes. Gain insights into how these boards prioritize ethics and compliance, enhance decision-making, and ultimately drive long-term value.