I was sitting in a board meeting the other day, a portion of which had been earmarked for our CEO to go over his top 10 priorities for the coming year. Most of the items on the CEO’s list were not new, which was a good thing. He had been nurturing these initiatives along, keeping us informed as they evolved, and was using this meeting to share his current outlook. The CEO methodically took us through his list of top 10 goals in the level of detail appropriate for each. Everything made sense as he laid out what the next 12 months would likely require of him in addition to his obvious role of leading the organization. As the CEO concluded his remarks, he nonchalantly added one more undocumented priority, “all this and being a husband and father to a one-year old, too. That’s the 11th item on my list.”

Without flinching, two board colleagues jumped to reply, almost simultaneously. One’s swift rejoinder was “Oh no, that’s not last on the list, that should be first!” while the other playfully retorted, “That’s on your time, it’s not what we pay you for.”

Did that just really happen? If I hadn’t been sitting in that room personally, I would suspect this to be a fabricated story – just to make a point about diverse perspectives.  But I was there and, notwithstanding this being a highly functioning, mutually respectful group, there is no question that two extreme positions were splayed right there on the board table.

What do we make of this situation? We want to stand up and applaud the humanity of the CEO who acknowledges his/her family while also supporting that leader for not allowing the organization to take a back seat. If the CEO were a woman, would being a spouse and parent have come up as #11? Would it have come up at all?  The two board members who spoke up framed the two ends of the spectrum of reactions, neither of which is unreasonable.  Does the fact that one of those board members is a man and the other is a woman matter to you, the reader?

Here’s what I take away from this very real discussion: thank goodness we have diversity in that room. Both men and women. Some from the CEO’s industry and others not. Members who have served for a number of years and those who are newer to this board. Most importantly, thank goodness we have people with varied experiences so that we can bring diverse perspectives to our roles as board members. We will surely need that wisdom again and again.  That range of experiences, along with our willingness to speak out, mutual respect and good humor, should serve our constituents well.