2025 Director Coaching and Kitchen Cabinet Survey

How do corporate directors navigate today’s evolving governance landscape? New research from Stanford and TMG explores how directors rely on “kitchen cabinets” of peers and advisors to strengthen governance, strategy, and board effectiveness.

The “2025 Director Coaching and Kitchen Cabinet Survey,” a follow-up to our earlier CEO study, found that 90% of directors actively draw on these informal networks to improve decision-making and leadership impact in the boardroom.

Conducted in partnership with the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, The Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, and the Hoover Institution, the study offers a rare look at how director advice networks evolve and why they remain one of the most powerful forces shaping corporate outcomes.