Eric Phinney Archives - The Governance Coach

Board Business in a Virtual World

Posted by Eric Phinney
On May 6, 2020
Board Meetings

I just completed a weeklong meeting with an international organization that I chair. Normally, to minimize travel costs, we meet only twice a year for 5 days. Facing the restrictions for COVID-19 was daunting. Could we get through the business that we had planned? Would people be able to engage? Would we be distracted by the technology? Would the technology work? Could we […]

Using Google Docs for Policy Work

Posted by Eric Phinney
On April 7, 2020
Expert Coaching. Practical Resources.

Board work involves a lot of documents; documents that we are to agree on; documents that get reviewed, interpreted, moved, adopted and reviewed again. If you have not already discovered it, Google Docs can give an organization a real boost in efficiency. In this time of isolation many are ready now – or have no alternative but […]

Meetings During a Pandemic

Posted by Eric Phinney
On March 18, 2020
Board Meetings

By now, if you are a board chair, you have most likely canceled any upcoming face to face meetings.  The question arises: what to do now? There are still critical matters of governance that need to be carried out.   Some organizations have already been using Zoom, GoToMeeting, or some other video or audio-conferencing platform and you will […]

Writing Ends is more like distilling spirits than brewing beer!

Posted by Eric Phinney
On March 4, 2020
Ends, Policy Development

Last winter my wife and I cruised the coast of Florida in our sailboat. We happened upon the city of St. Augustine and were thrilled by the number of attractions. We ended up staying an extra day as we had seen an advert for free winery, distillery and brewery tours. There had to be a day’s activity in that. We spent […]

Tradition or Renewal?

Posted by Eric Phinney
On February 19, 2020
Board Role

Is your board a product of many years of tradition with a few tweaks thrown in by well-meaning experts or based on books read by members? Perhaps it is time for an overhaul? But wait, things are working, sort of, and we wouldn’t want to change too much too fast. If you know there are […]

At What Point do I Begin?

Posted by Eric Phinney
On January 8, 2020
Board Development, Governance Improvement, Policy Governance System

I am always pleased when I am invited by an organization to come and help them with their board of directors. Then comes the fine tuning of the invitation. They have requested to see all the various “systems” of board governance and learn their advantages and disadvantages. Usually boards are using a process they have inherited that is based on tradition, an application of Robert’s Rules of […]

The Importance of Vocabulary

Posted by Eric Phinney
On May 21, 2019
Board Development

In the last year, my wife and I have done two things that involved using a new vocabulary. The first was spending 8 months on our sailboat traveling from Maine to Miami and then to the Bahamas and back. For life on a sailboat to be safe, enjoyable and successful, you need to add a good […]

New Ways of doing things

Posted by Eric Phinney
On April 9, 2019
Policy Governance System

As we continue our cruise up the coast of North America in the Intracoastal Waterway, we have visited many cities and towns. We have embraced many new ideas and come to understand that there are many ways of doing things. Today, as we went ashore in Charleston, SC to get some groceries, we saw two […]

Living on a Small Boat – Preparation Matters

Posted by Eric Phinney
On October 9, 2018
Board Development

Three weeks ago my wife Val and I set out to sail down the eastern seaboard to the Bahamas for the winter. I have just retired after 30 years as a pastor in the Anglican Church. There was much planning for this epic voyage. It began in 2011 when I first purchased “Tevah.” It was a […]

It Works in Small Organizations, Too

Posted by Eric Phinney
On June 19, 2018
Governance Improvement, Small Organizations

Several years ago I was invited to join the board of a small not-for-profit organization. It had been sliding downhill as a going concern for a number of years and the board had just taken the drastic action of dismissing the CEO with no notice amidst allegations of fraud. The CEO responded with a wrongful dismissal […]