Unconscious Incompetence: The Hidden Threat in the Boardroom

“The biggest blind spot I found in this NED (Non-Executive Directorship) journey is unconscious incompetence.” – Thandy Pino (MBA, MCIPS)

This is one of the most honest and profound reflections I have seen from someone who transitioned into corporate board service.

Many executives, after years of leadership success, assume they are “board-ready.” But governance is a different game, with its own rules, language, and responsibilities. And the most dangerous position is not lack of knowledge but not knowing that you don’t know. This is called unconscious incompetence.

🔍 What is Unconscious Incompetence?

It is the first stage of the learning journey where someone lacks competence in a subject and is unaware of that lack. This hinders their board career development.

This is how they behave. They:

• Don’t know they are unskilled in certain critical areas,

• During governance discussions, they are often lost,

• Overestimate their capabilities, and

• Are blind to the risks they pose to others, and to themselves.

In the boardroom, this is not just a personal flaw. It’s a governance risk.

🧠 How Does This Show Up in the Boardroom?

Let’s explore how well-meaning directors fall into this trap:

1. They Confuse Governance with Management

Instead of overseeing strategy, they focus on operations. They replace oversight with micromanagement.

2. They Don’t Understand Their Fiduciary Duties

Many cannot articulate the difference between the duty of care and duty of loyalty, or what personal liability looks like in a governance failure.

3. They are Passive “Yes” People

Board meetings become predictable. No debate. No challenge. Just rubber-stamping what management proposes. And at times rather take sides instead of providing their opinions.

4. They Lack Financial and Risk Literacy

They nod through financials they don’t understand and overlook early warning signs. They do not put effort into developing their board competency.

5. They Enable Groupthink

They assume silence equals alignment, and mistake politeness for effectiveness. They often ask the wrong questions, or no questions at all. Often ask the rest of the board members to explain what they are supposed to know in the first place.

⚠️ Why This Matters

Unconscious incompetence is governance’s silent killer. A director who does not know their own blind spots:

• Can’t hold management accountable,

• Misses emerging risks, and

• Weakens board decision-making.

The result? Underperformance, ethical failures, even corporate collapse.

✅ How to Move Beyond It

Here is how aspiring and current board members can avoid unconscious incompetence blind spot:

1. Invest in Governance Education

Understanding King IV, fiduciary duties, and director liabilities is not optional, it’s foundational. Get skilled in good governance.

2. Relearn Your Role

Being a good manager does not make you a good director. Governance requires different skills: oversight, independence, and long-term thinking.

3. Get Feedback

Board evaluations (individual and collective) expose gaps. If done properly, they become powerful development tools.

4. Join Mentorship Programmes

Being mentored by experienced directors fast-tracks your mindset shift and flattens the learning curve.

5. Normalize Boardroom Learning

Encourage a board culture where asking questions and upskilling is seen as strength, not weakness.

🎯 Final Thought

The boardroom is not a place for ego. It’s a place of trust, accountability, and skill.

And the most effective directors are not the ones who think they know, but the ones who never stop learning.

Let’s normalize continuous development in boardrooms.

Let’s name unconscious incompetence and overcome it together.

👥 Final Word

If you are serious about becoming an effective non-executive director, and avoiding the blind spots that trap many, get a copy of my book ‘Roadmap to Non-Executive Directorship’ on Amazon, Takealot or https://takasande.com/my-books/

Let’s raise the standard of board leadership, one director at a time.

 #NEDJourney #BoardEffectiveness #CorporateGovernance #LeadershipBlindSpots #DirectorDevelopment #TakaSande #RoadToNEDSuccess #GovernanceMatters #BoardroomLeadership