Why does Policy Governance discourage customary words like goal, objective, procedure, and strategy?
These words serve well in management. But there is no reason to think the same concepts or words will be best for boards’ work when governance is designed to fulfill its unique leadership purpose rather than merely a reflection of management. The concepts represented by management words disregard distinctions that are crucial for optimizing governance. For example, there are two distinctions that enable a board to establish what it will decide versus what it will delegate, as well as balance staff empowerment and accountability. These are the ends/means distinction and the distinction of articulated levels of breadth for all decisions. No existing management concepts correspond to these distinctions; for good governance they are crucial.