One of the biggest obstacles to improving governance is that it isn't considered a high priority. Everyone agrees that it is critically important, but responsibilities like selecting a new executive or raising more money are seen as urgent and take the board’s attention.   Boards must have the discipline to understand that focusing exclusively on urgent tasks will leave them vulnerable when matters like governance are neglected.   Failing to prioritize and address critical responsibilities will only increase pressing issues. For example, inadequate governance can cause top performers to resign and create new emergencies.