REALBoard Buzz™
Can We Be Candid?
The topic of candor got a boost this year from the popular book Radical Candor by Kim Scott (1), a retired Google/Apple veteran and management coach who believes the right kind of candor is a critical factor in personal and organizational success. Kim has YouTubed...
Wild Boars – or Wild Boards
A typo in a newspaper headline earlier this year caught my eye. The photo was of several wild boars, and the headline read “Alberta admits defeat in attempt to wipe out wild BOARD with bounty.” [emphasis added] The article goes on to explain how wild boars have...
WILDFLOWERS AND TICKS! WHAT IS YOUR BOARD’S FOCUS?
When I was driving home from church on a recent Sunday, I drove past a field of wildflowers. The colors and variety were stunningly beautiful, especially for this late in summer. As I contemplated the beauty, another thought crept into my mind: I bet there are a bunch...
Bloated Board Syndrome?
Does your Board seem excessively overpopulated? Are you thinking a weight loss strategy is in order, but can’t find the right diet? Perhaps it’s time to rethink your governance processes. To illustrate, federations (organizations owned by several organizations) are...
Motor Home or Winter Vacation: Opportunity Cost
When a board develops its ends as it implements the Policy Governance® model, it considers three components. These components include: (1) how will people be better off, (2) which people will be better off and (3) what is it worth to produce these results. One of the...
Policies and Monitoring: More or Less
More policy is not necessarily better, and less may sometimes be more. John Carver went so far as to headline his November 1997 Board Leadership article, “Honey, I Shrunk the Policies,” with the sentence “In Policymaking, More is Definitely Not Better.” A board I’m...
Setting Your Sails
If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. ~Seneca I am not a sailor. In fact, I’ve never even been on a moving sailboat in my life. But I’m fascinated whenever I have the chance to watch sailing. I recently was in San Diego and...
Rest? Why Rest? Give me a Break!
It is that time of year! School is out and families are planning trips to the beach and ice cream excursions. Individuals are traveling to scenic mountains, to exciting cities, to exotic locations. Why? Why take time out of the ordinary routines to reflect and...
What’s so Great About Policy Governance®?
Who Reports ‘What’ In the Annual Report?
I expect that the intent and content for an organization’s Annual Report are as much mysteries to most board members as they are to those who read them. After all, when scanning a number of annual reports, the most common elements are the financial statements. Beyond...