Governing boards need to discipline themselves to stay out of operations. Managing boards need to discipline themselves to function at the executive level when they meet. But anyone can derail an otherwise effective board by asking seemingly innocent questions. For example, someone may ask what brand of photocopy machine the staff is going to buy and what features it will have. Boards also get dragged into the weeds by an organizational leader who may want some input on a decision he or she needs to make. Many boards will respond by asking for more information, usually about operational details. Then they will debate the pros and cons of each option. While it might lead to an interesting discussion, it is not governing, and it is not making important decisions. It is merely giving advice on low level decisions.