Pre-Flight Checklist: AI Governance Council (AGC) (Post #12 of 20)
Does your Governance Council have courage?
This isn’t just about governance, but executive accountability.
It’s about exposing the human side of leadership paralysis. The fear of making the wrong move that leads to no move at all.
It’s the same pattern we see in organizations every day: committees that debate endlessly, executives who sense risk but won’t take ownership, and teams that confuse discussion with decision.
Just like the Jedi Council from the scene in “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.” They had insight, authority and experience, but lacked the courage to lead.
Because even the wisest Council is useless without the will to act.
If you haven’t seen the movie, here’s the moment. The Jedi Council sees a gifted young leader spiraling out of control and desperate for guidance. No one mentors him.
They see a risk. They sense danger. They freeze.
Fear and politics keep them from acting, and their hesitation destroys everything they were meant to protect.
Leadership failure doesn’t always look like chaos. Sometimes it looks like silence in a meeting full of brilliant people.
Every organization has its Jedi; the visionaries, the engineers and the believers. But only the AI Governance Council (AGC) has the authority, and the responsibility, to maintain balance between innovation and control.
If the AGC fails to execute it’s Directives, you are gambling with your AI Adoption.
3 Steps to Create Directives to Activate the AI Governance Council (AGC)
The AI Governance council has three powers: own the data score, decide Go/No-Go, and put AI risk on the balance sheet.
Own the Data Readiness Score (Post #8). This must become the single universal currency for green-lighting any AI project; align accountability with impact.
Establish the Go/No-Go Authority. The AGC must be the single authority for enforcing containment and issuing the Go/No-Go decision on autonomy.
Measure the Total Risk by Putting AI on the Balance Sheet. Reactive AI management stops at IT tickets. Proactive AI governance requires financial visibility.
Have the CDO and CISO present a unified Total AI Risk Exposure to the board quarterly.
Quantify the cumulative financial liability of all compliant AI projects, including GDPR fines, breach costs and IP theft exposure.
Test Flight: The AGC Activation Drill
This exercise tests whether your leadership team is governing AI, or simply observing it.
It’s a test of discipline, courage and decision-making under pressure (the qualities that separate a functioning council from a ceremonial one).
The Task: Within the next 30 days, conduct a live AGC session.
Assemble the Council. Include the C-Suite leads across Data, Tech, Security, Risk, Operations, Sales, and one business unit owner to represent the divisions. Keep it small with five to seven people. Too many voices, and courage dilutes into consensus theater.
Establish the Cadence. The AGC should meet monthly for operational review and quarterly for strategic authorization. AI decisions demand the same rigor as budget approvals.
Set Ground Rules for Debate.
Every member speaks once before any member speaks twice.
No passive agreement. Each participant must state a Go/No-Go position.
Dissent is required; disrespect in prohibited.
“I don’t know” is acceptable. “Maybe later” is not.
Insist on a Decision.
Every AGC meeting must end with one clear outcome: Go, No-Go, or Hold with defined remediation.
No parked topics. No “we’ll revisit.”
Courage means committing to imperfect data.
Document the Why.
Record not just the decision but the reasoning; who voted which way and what data informed it.
That log becomes your accountability record; the source of truth from calm, deliberate decisions made with clarity, not ones made in chaos.
Mission Debrief:
How did it go? Did the team have the courage to make a decision?
If your Council can’t leave the room with a decision, then it’s just performing, not governing. Real courage isn’t louder voices; it’s leaving the table aligned, accountable and clear.
And the way to align, is to begin with putting the mission before ego. (See Post #6.)
If “governance” isn’t your thing, find the leader who sees it as their calling, and give them the controls.
When you build a team of superheroes, you don’t hire ten Batmans. You need diversified powers. That’s how transformation scales.
This is very useful. Every company needs to have an AI Governance Council. My next venture will definitely have one. Thank you for the insightful inspiration.