Boards often leave consequential decisions with strong agreement and weak ownership. The minutes record the resolution. Several people understand that work must follow. Nobody can say, with confidence, who is responsible for bringing the matter back.
This is not a motivation problem. It is a design omission. Ownership has to be attached at the moment of decision, while the conditions, assumptions, and required next actions are still visible.
Useful ownership is more than a name. It includes the next action, the date, the condition that would trigger escalation, and the place where progress will be reviewed.
When those elements are explicit, follow-through stops depending on institutional memory. The board can distinguish a decision that is being implemented from one that merely left the agenda.
Minutes preserve what was said. Ownership determines what happens next.