Governance and wellbeing: the results are in
The results are in
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete Canada's first governance and wellbeing pulse check. Those 142 board directors and governance professionals across the country made the research possible.
Here's what we found: both directors and governance pros score above Canada’s life satisfaction average, which is good news. But they sit nearly a full point apart from each other—within the same governance system—and neither group is being adequately supported when it comes to stress and burnout.
We all know that governance work is meaningful, but the structures around it haven't caught up with the people doing it.
By the numbers:
96% of board directors find meaning in board work
But 88% are serving organizations in change, uncertainty, or crisis
And 87% say the board does not address stress and burnout in directors
30% of governance professionals say the time and energy demands of the role are unmanageable
You can explore the full findings, including downloadable one-page overviews designed for sharing, at mcglashan.ca/governancewellbeing.
If you'd like to dig deeper into what the data means, I'm bringing this research into three upcoming conversations:
Board Leadership and Wellbeing: Women Get On Board speaker series, with Deborah Rosati. June 4, 2026 at noon ET / 9am Pacific. Free for WGoB members, or contact me for a code.
CGIC National CPD Webinar: The State of Governance Wellbeing in Canada, Wednesday June 24, 2026 at 1pm ET/ 10am Pacific.
Governance & Wellbeing: Why the Next Frontier of Governance Is Human: Governance Professionals of Canada Annual Conference, Monday August 24, 2026 at 1pm Pacific.
I'd love to see you at any of these. And let’s keep the conversation going.