REALBoard Buzz™
It Takes So Much Time
I think it’s fair to say that learning and understanding monitoring can be a steep curve for both board and CEO. It’s a bit of an unknown process to most boards when they start their Policy Governance® journey. The mere mention of monitoring at a board meeting can...
Board Leadership, Blue Skies and Growing Up
Children ask questions that are both profound and require clear, age-appropriate responses. “Why is the sky blue?” Why does the sky have clouds?” “Why is there pink, red, and orange in the sky when the sun sets?” Behind each of these questions is a whole lot of...
Why the Board Chair Should Not Interpret the Board’s Directives to the CEO?
When I first began governance consulting, I often ran into a misconception that the Board Chair was the CEO’s boss. I don’t encounter that nearly so often these days; but an odd remnant of that view still pops up - some think that the Chair should be the board’s...
Wait! Before the Board Approves that Report…
…perhaps it shouldn’t! Some boards have an interesting perspective on reports. They view a report as something the board needs to adopt or approve. On one hand, this is understandable. If the board doesn’t make a decision whether it will adopt or approve a report,...
Embracing Complexity
I am reading an interesting book1 about leading in times of crisis and change. While its messages are directed in large part to individual leaders, there are many lessons in it for governing boards. After all, effective boards are leading organizations where change is...
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...
Is Your Board Evaluating Performance?
When it comes to evaluation, is your board living by its own standards? You likely recognize the value of evaluating your CEO against predefined expectations and standards. You even expect the CEO to do the same with subordinates. If you are using Policy Governance®...
Where Is Our Board Taking Us?
My wife and I were recently taking a leisurely walk at sunset. As we looked up to the sky, we noticed the high-flying airplane contrails which were lit up in a variety of shades of red, yellow, and purple, contrasting with a deepening blue sky. My wanderlust mind led...
What Kind of Birds Are You Attracting?
We happen to live in a quiet and fairly wooded area of our city. It provides the environment for a lot of birds (and sometimes other, unwanted wildlife – read coyotes). We enjoy watching and listening to the birds and are growing in our ability to identify by sight...
7 Tips for Creating Board 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...