I was working with someone recently who was stepping into directorships from a senior operational role. They were battling the reality that the experience that got them onto the board is not necessarily the work they will be doing on the board. It can be hard to step into a role that requires us to ‘let go’ of our perceived expertise in doing the work and become competent in holding the business to account. The mentee described that as exploring what they need to unlearn in order to behave, feel and think differently in their new governance role. The more prestige our CVs hold, the harder it can be to feel like a beginner again - but of course the edges of our comfort zone are where the learning lives! As a mentor my role can be to support someone to select what they keep and what they let go of when moving into governance - what are they holding on to that is no longer useful?