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Normally what we are used to hearing is the phrase, ‘’Looking through the wrong end of the telescope’’. However, I prefer to think of looking through both ends when it comes to governance.

There can be relatively few opportunities in a career to experience governance from both sides of the Board table. Serving as a Board member of one third sector organisation while working as a senior executive in another has given me a renewed appreciation of both role and of how easily each can misunderstand the other.

It has also reinforced a simple truth: effective governance is not created by Boards or executives working well independently. It is created when they understand each other's responsibilities, respect each other's contribution and remain focused on the organisation's purpose.

One of the biggest differences I have noticed is the nature of the questions being asked. In my role as a Board member, my instinct is to ask, "Are we confident this is the right strategic decision? What are we not seeing? What risks should concern us?" Sitting in an executive role, my thinking can naturally shift towards delivery: "How do we implement this? What resources will it require? What are the operational consequences?" Neither perspective is more important than the other; together they produce better decisions than either could alone.

Serving in both roles has also reminded me how information can look very different depending on where you sit. Executives live with the complexity of issues every day. They know the history, the context and the operational constraints that cannot always be easily captured in a Board paper. Board members, however, see an organisation with a degree of independence that allows them to ask questions that executives may not always think to ask. Sometimes the most valuable Board question is not the most technical one, but the simplest. I remember one Board member many years ago who after a fairly lengthy and technically detailed presentation, asked the question, ‘How will what is proposed make things better for tenants?’’

The experience has also changed how I think about Board papers. As an executive, I have become more conscious that papers should do more than describe activity; they should enable good governance. They should explain choices, highlight uncertainty and be honest about where management is seeking advice or assurance. Equally, as a Board member, I have become more appreciative of the work involved in preparing concise, balanced information from what is often a much more complex operational reality.

Another lesson has been the importance of trust. Boards should challenge, but challenge is most effective when it is grounded in curiosity rather than suspicion. Executives should be open, but openness requires confidence that difficult messages will be received constructively. Strong organisations I believe are those where challenge is expected, transparency is normal and disagreement is viewed as part of good decision-making rather than a sign that relationships are failing.

Both roles have also strengthened my appreciation of organisational culture. Boards can speak about values, behaviours and organisational purpose, while executives work daily to translate those aspirations into lived experience for staff and service users. Neither can achieve this alone. Culture may be shaped in the boardroom, but it is experienced throughout the organisation.

Perhaps the greatest lesson though has been one of empathy. Sitting in both roles helps to avoid my falling into an "us and them" mindset. It becomes easier to recognise the pressures facing executives while also understanding why Boards sometimes need to ask difficult questions or request further assurance. Good governance is not about eliminating tension between oversight and management; it is about ensuring that tension remains constructive and focused on achieving the organisation's mission.

For me, wearing both hats has been less about seeing two different worlds and more about seeing the same organisation through two different ends of the telescope. Each perspective is incomplete on its own, together however they provide a richer understanding of leadership, accountability and stewardship in the third sector.

If there is one enduring reflection, it is this: organisations are at their strongest when Boards and executives stop seeing themselves as separate groups and instead recognise that they are partners with distinct responsibilities, united by a common purpose. That partnership, built on trust, openness and respectful challenge, is one of the greatest strengths any third sector organisation can possess.