Fake Work at the Board Level: Are We Really Doing Governance or Just Looking Busy?
A Brief Inquiry Into the Boardroom Equivalent of Shuffling Papers
Let’s start with a pop quiz:
At your last board meeting, did you…
- Spend 20 minutes debating the font size in the board packet?
- Nod solemnly while reading a report you didn’t understand but didn’t want to ask about?
- Re-review last month’s minutes like they were sacred text?
- Approve the CEO’s strategic plan without a single question, but raise hell over the coffee budget?
If you answered “yes” to any of these—or worse, all of these—congratulations: you might be doing fake work.
And if your meetings consistently feel long but unproductive, filled with movement but little actual momentum, your board might be suffering from a terminal case of Performative Governance.
What Is Fake Work?
“Fake work” is not work that looks fake. It’s work that feels real, consumes time, and creates the illusion of value—without actually moving anything forward.
In corporate settings, fake work includes things like:
- Meetings about meetings.
- Email threads that could have been a shrug.
- Slide decks built to impress no one in particular.
At the credit union board level, fake work shows up wearing a suit, clutching a binder, and usually saying something like, “We’ve always done it this way.”
How to Spot Fake Work at the Board Level
Like a chameleon, fake work blends in. It feels important. It’s often accompanied by furrowed brows and phrases like:
“Let’s table that for next month.”
“I just want to make sure we’ve thoroughly discussed it.”
“This isn’t in our bylaws, but…”
But here are a few dead giveaways:
- Endless Operational Noodling
Spending time reviewing which credit union branches need new carpet? That’s not governance. That’s facilities micromanagement disguised as fiduciary oversight.
Unless your strategic plan includes “neutral tones in all locations,” this is fake work.
- Performative Questions
You know these:
- “I just want to be sure we’re asking the tough questions.” (Then proceeds to ask a very soft one.)
- “Could you walk me through this, even though it was covered last meeting?”
These aren’t questions. They’re boardroom kabuki theater.
- Reports No One Reads (But Everyone Pretends To)
Here’s a fun exercise: randomly insert a line in the middle of a 40-page committee report that says, “If you read this, bring me a cookie.” See how many cookies you get.
Spoiler: not many.
- Approval as a Reflex
If the board’s approach to governance is “whatever staff recommends,” congratulations, you’re doing the governance equivalent of clicking “Accept All Cookies” on a website. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it usually leads to regret.
- Dashboard Addiction Without Interpretation
Boards love dashboards. They’re colorful. They have arrows. They give the illusion of insight.
But if no one is asking, “What story is this data telling us?” or “How does this trend align with our strategic priorities?” — you’re just admiring bar charts in a vacuum.
Why Fake Work Happens
We’re not calling anyone lazy or malicious. Most fake work is born out of good intentions, outdated habits, and a deeply ingrained culture of looking like we’re doing something important.
Here’s why it happens:
- Fear of Looking Ignorant
Asking, “What exactly does this mean?” in a board meeting feels risky. So, we don’t ask. We nod. We move on. We fake it.
- Avoidance of the Hard Stuff
It’s easier to debate whether the board retreat should be two days or one-and-a-half than to have a conversation about whether your current leadership team is aligned with your strategic vision.
- Boredom + Duty = Overreach
Governance is about oversight, not involvement in every operational lever. But bored board members often reach for relevance in the only place they can: operational trivia.
The Cost of Fake Governance
Let’s be blunt: fake work is not harmless. It’s expensive. It’s distracting. And over time, it erodes your board’s credibility, wastes staff time, and causes strategic drift.
It also makes the CEO wonder whether you understand what governance is—or whether you just like the sandwiches.
What Real Governance Looks Like
To be clear, real governance isn’t about being smarter, more experienced, or louder. It’s about being focused, curious, and disciplined.
Here’s what it includes:
✅ 1. Strategy First, Strategy Always
Every conversation should map back to the strategic plan. Not sometimes. Always.
If it doesn’t, you’re not governing—you’re tinkering.
✅ 2. Data With Meaning
Don’t just review the numbers. Ask what they’re telling you. Ask how they connect to goals. Ask why they’re improving—or not.
If the numbers aren’t changing, and you don’t know why, you’re watching a dashboard like it’s Netflix.
✅ 3. Brave Questions
Be the board member who says, “I don’t understand this—can someone explain?” That’s not weakness. That’s leadership.
And chances are, four other directors had the same question and were too proud to ask.
✅ 4. Committee Reports That Matter
Every committee report should answer:
- What decision are we being asked to make?
- How does this tie to the strategic plan?
- What risks or opportunities are we surfacing?
If a report doesn’t help with those, it can go in the archive bin with your 2003 marketing plan.
✅ 5. Time Discipline
If your board meeting consistently goes over three hours and you haven’t solved the succession plan, tackled a major risk, or reinvented your governance model—you might not be “collaborating.” You might just be loitering with paperwork.
How to Cut the Fluff (Without Cutting Each Other)
1. Board Agenda Audits
Go back through the last three meeting agendas. Highlight anything that wasn’t:
- A strategic discussion
- A key decision
- An oversight function
Now count the rest. That’s your fluff ratio.
2. Consent Agendas Are Your Friend
Use them. Ruthlessly. Put everything informational or routine in a consent agenda and reclaim your meeting time for actual governance.
3. Board Self-Assessments
Want a mirror that doesn’t lie? Conduct an annual self-assessment. Fake work often thrives in boards that avoid honest reflection.
Final Thought: Busy ≠ Effective
Credit union board service is a privilege. It’s also a responsibility. That means showing up with intention, asking real questions, making tough calls—and resisting the urge to fill the room with noise just to feel like you’ve earned the sandwiches.
In other words:
If your board work feels like work but accomplishes nothing, it might not be work. It might just be well-dressed loitering.
Need help distinguishing real governance from well-meaning fluff? Call TEAM Resources. We’ll help you streamline your board practices—and maybe even help you get those meetings down to something resembling human time.
