REALBoard Buzz™
Jet Trails or Trail Blazers?
On a recent walk I was enjoying the clear azure blue sky when I noticed a jet trail streaking across it. The trail made a spectacular impact, but in a few minutes it had faded from view. I was reminded about boards and board members I’ve...
How Well Has Your Board Performed This Year?
As we near the end of the calendar year, we often take stock of performance: ours, those accountable to us, and our investments. Shouldn’t your board evaluate its own performance too, since it is accountable for your organization’s performance to...
The Powerful Nature of Conversation
While I was working on my doctoral degree in Organization Development, one professor emphasized the powerful nature of conversation in an organization. She pointed out repeatedly the many ways language creates change and in the process of conversation, change emerged....
The Future Keeps Moving
I've been on a journey the past 2 years – toward greater physical health. Those of you who know me might think there is a long road ahead! I’ve made significant progress and still have some distance to travel. I’ve always enjoyed running (not fast, but I get there!)...
Meaning & Purpose in Governance
I’ve been thinking lately about a particular feature of board performance that I see all too often. It’s a feature that has troubled me for some time now, but I think I’m beginning to understand why it happens and how to avoid...
The Blame Game
I read a series of reports in my local paper chronicling the hand-wringing of the board of a local municipal agency about what it could do about credit card expenses that had...
Recruiting Better Board Members
Don’t be Satisfied with Just “Warm Bodies” for Board Positions On behalf of your organization’s ownership, your board determines what will demonstrate success for the organization. Furthermore, the “buck” truly stops at the board as there is no higher...
Alice in Policy Wonderland
Crafting well-designed policies is not easy. Boards could, however, take some lessons from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The White Rabbit put on his spectacles: “where shall I begin, please your Majesty?” he asked. ...
The Board and Tone at the Top
Tone at the top is about an ethical culture where all employees feel responsible for doing the right thing. Since the board is at the top of the organization, what’s the board’s role in ensuring ethical culture? One of the best definitions of culture I’ve...
Does Your Board Know How Well (or Not) It is Performing?
In the process of governing, boards should invest time in properly setting, evaluating, and ensuring achievement of the strategic, future-focused benefits the organization is supposed to produce for targeted recipients at a specified worth (Ends, for shorthand)....