REALBoard Buzz™
Board Brain Disorder
I recently read a fascinating book, Brain Chains, by Theo Compernolle. It got me thinking about the way in which boards unwittingly “chain” their collective brains. Drawing extensively on psychological and neurological research, Compernolle describes three brain...
What do you Mean I’m a Moral Owner?
Not long ago, I served on a nonprofit Policy Governance board. We worked hard to implement the Policy Governance model. We felt good about our written policies and how they were being monitored. However, we needed better linkage with our moral owners. We had a good...
Sunrise, Sunset
Not long ago, I was on a Skype call with an individual who was in a time zone 9 hours later than mine. During the conversation, I asked if he could give me a minute as I needed to get up and close the blinds. The sun had just risen above the rooftops across the street...
Imagine if…
News articles about public agencies can make for fascinating reading, particularly when they disappoint almost everyone who seems to have a stake in the organization’s performance, or if they have achieved status as a lead story. More often than not, it’s about lack...
Does A Church Congregation Need a Report Card?
Your grade six daughter has started at a new school this year. As report card time approaches you are looking forward to seeing how well she has adjusted. The email arrives with the promised report attached. The document reports on the educational degrees of the...
3 Great Ways to Engage Your Ownership in Ends Priorities
Even the largest organizations have limited resources for the difference that they want to make in the world. The board needs to make what are often difficult choices among all the Ends that an organization could achieve. For example, school boards may have to...
Are You Really Reading This?
As a former college professor, I challenged my students to be articulate. I’ve always believed the ability to clearly and effectively express ideas and to be understood is important. In the course of a semester, I would assign, at minimum, two oral presentations, a...
Where’s the Package?
In the current world, it is becoming increasingly easier (and more convenient) to order many goods from online marketing sites. I’m sure I purchase something online at least once every week. A feature has been added to online purchasing in the past few years, that I...
March Hare, Mad Hatter or the Duchess?
When recently re-reading some excerpts from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, it struck me that they are scarily similar to some board policies I’ve seen in my experience. Perhaps as boards we can take some lessons from Alice’s adventure about writing...
Wave After Wave After Wave…
My wife and I recently had the pleasure of a vacation on the coast of Mexico. We were even upgraded to a suite on the 4th floor overlooking the beach and the ocean. We spent many hours watching the waves, breathing the fresh air, and lapping up the environment. My...