Board Development Archives - The Governance Coach

Embracing Complexity

Posted by Rose Mercier
On November 25, 2021
Board Development, Board Leadership, Strategic Foresight

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 a constant and crises are not unknown. Organizations are complex and […]

You Have the Tools to Govern, But Are You Healthy Enough to Maximize Their Potential?

Posted by Jeffery Schau
On July 8, 2021
Board Development, Governance Failure, Governance Improvement

When boards seek to govern with excellence, they often seek out a system or model of governance to help guide them. In other words, they look for a tool they can wield to help them get the job done. Policy Governance® is such a tool, and a wonderful one at that. However, even with a […]

Evidently this is Not Evidence!

Posted by Richard Stringham
On May 20, 2021
Board Development, Board Self-Evaluation

Earlier on in my consulting career, it was common to come across boards in which directors thought that the Board Chair should be the CEO’s boss. However, when a board uses Policy Governance®, board members should operate in a manner that recognizes the board as a whole is the CEO’s boss and the Chair is […]

Change or Growth?

Posted by Jannice Moore
On May 13, 2021
Board Development, Board Leadership, Policy Governance System

Every now and then, I run into a board that has been using Policy Governance®, often for some time, and decides it wants a “change” – just to try something different. Almost always, this desire is precipitated by a significant turnover in board members, and a failure on the part of the board to have […]

Maintaining Policy Governance® Muscles

Posted by Rose Mercier
On April 1, 2021
Board Development, Governance Improvement, Sustaining Policy Governance

My colleague, Ted Hull, wrote a blog a couple of years ago , about how boards can ensure the gains experienced through Policy Governance are not lost. However, because I think it’s impossible to overemphasize the importance of being intentional about sustaining excellence in governing, I decided to revisit this topic. Given my long history in […]

Just Waiting, or Preparing?

Posted by Jannice Moore
On December 17, 2020
Board Development, Board Leadership

This season prior to Christmas is known in church calendars as the season of Advent, the time of “waiting” for Christmas to arrive, re-enacting the period of waiting for the birth of the Messiah. Advent is a season of Hope. This year, perhaps more than any other, we need to hold on to hope. In […]

How a Board can Embrace Diversity

Posted by Rose Mercier
On November 11, 2020
Board Development, Values

It would be hard not to notice the proliferation of media stories, academic and industry research, anecdotal evidence, and statistics about the diversity – or lack thereof – on boards of directors. Corporate boards, in particular, have been under pressure from institutional investors, governments and regulators to address gender diversity, and there are many excellent […]

Shift Happens

Posted by Jannice Moore
On September 30, 2020
Board Development, Board Orientation, Policy Governance Implementation

Indulge me in a little nostalgia. Before COVID, I spent a lot of time in airplanes. I had the flight attendant announcements memorized: “In preparation for landing, please fasten your seatbelts, ensure your seat backs and table trays are in the upright and locked positions, and stow your carryon baggage safely. Please use caution when opening overhead […]

Strategic Importance of Effective Board Education

Posted by Paul Zilz
On September 16, 2020
Board Development, Board Role, Strategic Focus

The Jewish Torah tells a compelling story of a Middle Eastern shepherd encountering a bush that burns but is not consumed. The shepherd, known by the name of Moses, was curious and approached the bush only to be called in a new direction by the God known by the Jewish people as Yahweh. This encounter led to Moses taking an entirely new life path that led […]

Freedom In Discipline

Posted by Jannice Moore
On July 8, 2020
Board Development, Board Leadership, Governance Improvement

Has your board considered Policy Governance® but decided against it because it sounded like too much work, or you heard it was too confining? Often, this translates into “we don’t really want to exercise discipline.” Many boards tend to shy away from discipline. Perhaps it’s because the word evokes mental images of punishment – when […]

The Trick To Good Soup

Posted by Andrew Bergen
On June 24, 2020
Board Development, Board Leadership

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I’ve been exploring an emerging perspective on “Growth Mindset vs. Closed Mindset”. One of the leaders in this work is the Neuroleadership Institute. Their research indicates that the simple (yet often difficult) work of changing one’s mental model significantly shifts one towards possibilities that were previously unavailable. For example, I like soup. I […]

At What Point do I Begin?

Posted by Eric Phinney
On January 8, 2020
Board Development, Governance Improvement, Policy Governance System

I am always pleased when I am invited by an organization to come and help them with their board of directors. Then comes the fine tuning of the invitation. They have requested to see all the various “systems” of board governance and learn their advantages and disadvantages. Usually boards are using a process they have inherited that is based on tradition, an application of Robert’s Rules of […]

Taking Stock – Hindsight Can Be Positive

Posted by Jannice Moore
On December 31, 2019
Board Development, Board Self-Evaluation

“Hindsight is 20/20 vision.” We often consider this a negative statement as we rue some decision we have made. As we head into the literal year 2020, let’s consider the statement in a positive light. Hindsight literally means “thinking about things after they’ve happened.” Instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, I encourage you to take […]

How a Board can Embrace Diversity

Posted by Rose Mercier
On May 28, 2019
Board Development, Values

The Importance of Vocabulary

Posted by Eric Phinney
On May 21, 2019
Board Development

In the last year, my wife and I have done two things that involved using a new vocabulary. The first was spending 8 months on our sailboat traveling from Maine to Miami and then to the Bahamas and back. For life on a sailboat to be safe, enjoyable and successful, you need to add a good […]

Policy Governance® has No Grandchildren

Posted by Ted Hull
On April 2, 2019
Board Development, Sustaining Policy Governance

Recently I became involved in a conversation with the CEO of an organization of which I am one of the board members. The CEO has also served on other Policy Governance® boards. In the course of conversation he was asked why he thinks Policy Governance loses traction with many boards over time. I would love […]

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 […]

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 […]

Becoming a High Performance Board

Posted by Rose Mercier
On August 22, 2017
Board Development, Governance Improvement

At one time in my life, I was very involved in coaching education. An important competency for coaches was building high performing teams. It was important not only in team sports but also individual sports where a coach might be leading teams of coaches and support staff or leading a provincial or national team in […]

Rest? Why Rest? Give me a Break!

Posted by Paul Zilz
On July 25, 2017
Board Development, Board Leadership

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 rejuvenate? Why rest? Scientific America, in an October 2013 article […]

What About Term Limits For Board Members?

Posted by Ted Hull
On June 27, 2017
Board Development, Governance Improvement

It is important that we have term limits for board members so we can get fresh blood. We need term limits; otherwise how do we get rid of poor board members? These are two very common reasons for setting term limits for a board. You can add to this list of supposedly good ideas. In […]

Sunrise, Sunset

Posted by Andrew Bergen
On April 11, 2017
Board Development, Board Diversity

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 […]

Who’s Around the Table?

Posted by Joseph Inskeep
On December 20, 2016
Board Development

Are your board members chosen for name recognition? For their management skills? For their connections or fund-raising capacity? For their ability to work as a productive team? Boards and managers do very different yet equally essential work. Boards govern, not manage. The board’s added value is in strategic leadership more than prominence or management skills. […]

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