Don’t Be Satisfied with Low-Hanging Fruit

Posted by Jannice Moore
On November 27, 2018

We have an apple tree in our backyard. This fall it was so loaded with apples we had to prop up the lower branches to keep them from breaking. When it was time to harvest them, we picked all the apples we could reach without a ladder – the low-hanging fruit – and filled several […]

The “At What Cost” Question

Posted by Ted Hull
On November 13, 2018
At What Worth, Ends, Opportunity Costs

When boards – and specifically not for profit boards, are developing their Ends, they will determine who the beneficiaries are and what benefits will result for these beneficiaries. The third part of this process is determining whether or not it’s worth the cost of producing those results for those people. Underlying that is the question […]

Implementing Policy Governance: A Cost-Benefit Analysis

Posted by Rose Mercier
On November 6, 2018
Policy Governance Implementation

Before we decide to invest in anything major, either as an individual or as an organization, we often undertake a cost benefit analysis. We usually start by listing the benefits, the potential upside of moving forward. If we want to make sure we’re considering all the angles, we also list the potential downsides. So, what […]

Seven Dysfunctional Board Leadership Approaches…and the Solution

Posted by Paul Zilz
On October 30, 2018
Board Leadership

How transparent, accountable, results-oriented, and future-focused is your board? Does your board follow one of the dysfunctional “Seven P” governance approaches that hinder effective board strategic leadership? Years ago, I was serving in a leadership role during a transition of governance on a board of directors. This membership organization had undergone numerous years of dysfunction […]

So Many Leaves! A Better Way to Evaluate the CEO.

Posted by Andrew Bergen
On October 23, 2018
CEO Evaluation

I typically have loved the Fall season. The colors of the leaves, the cool air at night – I just like changes in seasons (generally). However, there are two parts of Fall that I don’t like. First, it signals Winter is coming. This year, Fall has arrived quite abruptly and very early. That doesn’t bode […]

The End.

Posted by Dee Incoronato
On October 16, 2018
Ends

It all starts with the End. Ends policies signify the impact the organization seeks to have on the outside world. In Policy Governance®, the global Ends statement must have three components: the impact, difference, change, benefit or outcome in or for people (results); the identity, description, or characteristics of the population to receive the results […]

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 […]

Is Your Governance Doctor Up to Date?

Posted by Richard Stringham
On October 2, 2018
Board Development, Consultants

During my years as a university student, a friend and I took up scuba diving. On one dive, I found that I was a bit more congested than I had realized and had difficulty equalizing the pressure in my ears. We fastidiously observed the rule to never dive alone and, not wanting to disappoint my […]

Prescribing vs. Proscribing

Posted by Ted Hull
On September 18, 2018
Executive Limitations

We love Policy Governance®, except for that negative language requirement. Why can’t we just tell the CEO how to do something? Tobe consistent with the model and still get its way, a board may go to great lengths to come up with creative ways of directing its CEO, while still employing negative language. First, let’s […]

What is Monitoring in Policy Governance®?

Posted by Richard Stringham
On September 11, 2018
Monitoring

Does Your Board Govern as if It’s the “Top Dog” of the Organization?

Posted by Paul Zilz
On September 4, 2018
Board Role, Ends, Owners and Ownership

This is a fundamental, but often overlooked, question for your board to ask: “What is our position and our role in this organization?” The way your board answers this question will determine, to a large extent, its focus and its processes. Many boards assume that they are “at the top of the food chain,” that […]

Remembering to Listen

Posted by Andrew Bergen
On August 28, 2018
Owners and Ownership

I live in Canada. Currently, our government is involved in a disagreement with another nation regarding a tweet that was disagreeable. I’m not here to discuss the merits of either side of the issue at hand. A few days ago, I was listening to an interview on the radio with the former Canadian ambassador to […]

It’s Our Blogiversary! Check out the TOP 10!

Posted by governancecoach
On August 21, 2018

It’s our “BLOGiversary”!!! We’re celebrating two years of blogs! If you missed any, here are our Top Ten most visited blogs. Click on the titles below to read or re-read our most popular pieces! Remedy for Governance Failure: Part 1 – Rose Mercier (Aug 7, 2018) What about Executive Committees – Rose Mercier (July 11, […]

Remedy for a Governance Failure: Part 2: A Board is Ultimately Accountable for Everything

Posted by Rose Mercier
On August 14, 2018
Accountability, Executive Limitations, Governance Failure, Monitoring

For those who haven’t yet read Part 1 of this blog, here is a short recap: the blog was motivated by a newspaper article about a board of a social housing organization that was removed by the body that gave it the authority to govern. I pondered on the types of governance failure that would […]

Remedy for a Governance Failure: Part 1: TRUST….BUT VERIFY

Posted by Rose Mercier
On August 7, 2018
Accountability, Executive Limitations, Governance Failure, Monitoring

Perhaps because I live in a smaller city, lots of circumstances that might otherwise be a footnote in a larger metropolitan area attract the local newspaper’s attention. Consequently, I have a rich source of revelations about the impact of poor governance. Last week’s secondary front page story revealed that the municipality had removed both the […]

7 Tips for Creating Board Committees

Posted by Jannice Moore
On July 24, 2018
Committees

Should a board have committees? It depends. How many committees should a board have? It depends. It depends on whether the committees will interfere with the accountability of the CEO. It depends on whether those committees will help the board or hinder the “holism” of the board. Here are a few quick tips if you […]

Is Your Board Really Present?

Posted by Jannice Moore
On July 17, 2018
Strategic Foresight

Last weekend I was enjoying the beautiful summer weather taking a walk along a local nature trail. There were many other people doing the same thing. What amazed me was the number of them that were walking along, heads down, totally absorbed in their devices! Instead of enjoying the beauty around them, they were somewhere else. […]

What about Executive Committees?

Posted by Rose Mercier
On July 11, 2018
Board Holism, Committees

I received a call from the president of an organization that I coach which was in the middle of revising its bylaws. It had been suggested to the president that it was hard for a board to function without an executive committee. She called because she was curious about this suggestion. When the organization’s board […]

Considerations before Implementing Policy Governance®

Posted by Ted Hull
On July 3, 2018
Policy Governance Implementation

You may have landed on this blog because you are one of the quiet –or not so quiet –advocates for Policy Governance®to be introduced to your board. Perhaps your board would like to implement the model, but doesn’t know where to start. It’s possible it has all the pieces in place, but now wonders where […]

You Don’t Need to Control Something to Make a Difference

Posted by Richard Stringham
On June 26, 2018
Accountability

Board members and CEOs who work with Policy Governance® should be familiar with the concept of Ends policies. These are powerful statements of what difference the organization is to produce in the world, for whom, and for what worth. This concept is distinct from what the organization does to make that difference. Although the Board […]

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 […]

Ownership Linkage: The Interview Matrix

Posted by Andrew Bergen
On June 12, 2018
Ownership Linkage

Over the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in some large group sessions where the facilitator was able to gather a significant amount of information from each of the people involved. The method used was called an Interview Matrix. As I thought about this method of information gathering, it occurred to me […]

Board Education: One Purpose, Three Areas of Focus P.S. What? You’re Not Doing It?

Posted by Paul Zilz
On June 5, 2018
Board Development

Is your board continuously improving its capacity and ability to govern well? Your organization exists to make a real difference in the lives of those it serves. More to the point, a well-governed organization ensures 1) those benefits intended to be received by those intended to receive them are actually received, 2) the benefits received […]

Start Where You Are

Posted by Joseph Inskeep
On May 22, 2018
Board Development

Board work can be frustrating. People serve on boards to help and they hope their contributions will be meaningful. But when the board as a group is ineffective, the disappointment individual members feel is unambiguous. This is too common an occurrence and more poignant because we know that governance is no more a mystery than […]

The Challenges of the Reasonable Interpretation

Posted by Ted Hull
On May 15, 2018
Any Reasonable Interpretation

If you have any familiarity with Policy Governance®, you will have heard the term any reasonable interpretation. It is the Policy Governance principle that in my experience is the one most often misunderstood. If you are not familiar with this principle, let me briefly explain it. A Policy Governance board will develop a variety of […]

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