Our Conversation With Joel Goldberg
Strategic Planning or Defining the Board's Purpose -
Which Comes First?
Strategic
Planning – these two words strike fear and uncertainty into many people’s
minds. Visions of endless “input sessions”, constant wordsmithing, discussions
that tend to migrate away from the real purpose, and in the end, a document
that is “binder-ized” (replete with those plastic fingered spines that prohibit
effective page turning), with fancy graphics and big words but is placed in the
“Strat Plng” file, and rarely consulted.... until you must do it again. Lather.
Rinse. Repeat.
Why does this
happen? The people doing the planning are often the same people who must
IMPLEMENT the plan. There is a huge difference between the overriding strategy
and the way this strategy is accomplished. Boards are responsible for
establishing the high-level strategy – not figuring out how to do it. That’s the
responsibility of the paid staff.
How does this
impact boards? Boards are often made up of DOERS – people who have accomplished
things, who have achieved, and who have been successful at getting things done.
Board members are generally results-oriented, like to look at data, and need
reassurance that their PLANS are coming to fruition. A consequence of a board
with a results orientation is to turn strategy planning into a discussion of how
to get it done. Is this what you want your board to do? What impact does the
board doing tactical planning have on the administration (the people who you
pay to achieve results)?
WHAT’S A
BOARD TO DO?
First,
identify the PURPOSE of the board. Make it a clean, short description. Remember,
you are talking about the purpose of the board, not the organization.
No fancy
words. One example might be
“The
purpose of the board is to oversee the organization by hiring the executive
director, providing policy direction, fiduciary oversight and be an advocate
for the organization.”
Once the
purpose of the board is established, define the roles of the board members.
What is your focus? What kinds of things should board members be involved in?
The roles of board members should generally follow the purpose of the board. If
oversight is the purpose of the board, should board
members be discussing the color to paint the building? If hiring the
executive director is one of the purposes of the board, do your board members
get involved in every hiring decision? If your board is responsible for
fiduciary oversight, should board members be examining every receipt? Allow
your purpose to guide your role.
What about
goals? Should board members have goals? The simple answer is “yes, every board
member should have goals”, but the goals that individual board members
have should be for themselves. The goals of a board should be SHARED
goals. A board member might want to “learn how to be a better fundraiser”. That
is her goal, for herself. The board may have as one of its goals “become a more
effective board”. That is a board goal that each board member should agree to.
SPOILER ALERT
– PURPOSE COMES BEFORE PLANNING
Board members
want to be a part of getting things done. That’s what they are used to doing outside
of the board room. Remember, the strategic planning that most boards do is high
level, not operational. Without understanding, and agreeing, on the purpose of
the board, it is impossible for the board to develop strategy. If the board
hasn’t determined their purpose and role, the strategic planning process will
get bogged down.
WE CAN HELP
BOARDynamics
can coach your board to gain agreement of your purpose, roles, goals, and
behavior. We bring a vast set of unique experiences on elected, appointed and
volunteer boards. Contact us and let us help you!
EFFECTIVE BOARDS HAVE DOCUMENTED BOARD NORMS
Are all your board members rowing in the same direction? Don’t worry if they’re not. There is a fix to this, and this fix holds true whether your board is elected, appointed, or is a volunteer board.
It is an honor and a privilege to be a board member. The position comes with a responsibility to understand the agreed upon purpose of your board. If board members know their board’s purpose, they can understand their roles, base their goals upon their roles, and ultimately exhibit consistent behavior that allows the organization to move forward.
DOES YOUR BOARD AGREE ABOUT:
Board attendance
The need to be prepared
Respect, professional and courteous behavior
The line between oversight and operations
Partisanship
Personal agendas
Confidentiality
Respecting the majority decision
Access to information and communication
Social media presence
Board Norms are a documented guide for board members regarding behavioral expectations. Written, board-approved norms can provide guidance to help steer the board through difficult times, such as an individual board member's personal agenda. It's easy for a board member to innocently swim into the tide of issues outside their responsibility. Some members might use their office for personal interests. A great board has everyone rowing together and understanding their purpose and roles. Board Norms cover expectations that are not covered in bylaws or policies, or sometimes, reiterate their governing document’s direction.
Just as bylaws should keep a board focused on their responsibilities, having documented Board Norms keeps the board accountable to one another, allowing smoother sailing when issues arise.
Another huge benefit to having written Board Norms is apparent when you have new board members join the board. They have a document listing the behavioral expectations of their position.
Boards can be more effective and efficient when they hold themselves accountable for their behavior. As challenges face a board, a united team always experiences smoother sailing than one that has its oars pulling in multiple directions.
Agree to it.
Live it.
Pass it on.
Contact us. We are board members helping board members!
(The fifth in a series of insightful thoughts about the importance of agreement of a board’s Purpose, Roles, Goals and Behavior)
Are all your board members rowing in the same direction? Don’t worry if they’re not. There is a fix to this, and this fix holds true whether your board is elected, appointed, or is a volunteer board.
It is an honor and a privilege to be a board member. The position comes with a responsibility to understand the agreed upon purpose of your board. If board members know their board’s purpose, they can understand their roles, base their goals upon their roles, and ultimately exhibit consistent behavior that allows the organization to move forward.
Board culture can influence board effectiveness. Boards must make
sure that culture and behavioral norms are agreed upon to move themselves in
the right and positive direction.
Culture manifests itself through behavior. Agreed upon behavioral
norms is a hallmark of an effective board. Here are some key questions that
start to capture board culture:
Does the board agree on its Purpose, Roles and Goals?
- Is there trust and respect among board members and between the administration and the board?
- Does the board speak with a single voice?
- Is information limited to a few or to all?
- Are communications clear, regular and consistent to all?
- Is board leadership determined by “best person, given the situation” or on an “it’s my turn” basis?
- Is the board focused on achieving strategic goals or daily operations?
With a clear understanding and agreement of behavioral norms and
expectations, the board can use its culture as a lever to support the goals of
the organization. When these agreed upon expectations are documented, there is a twofold benefit. They give current board members direction and guidance, and as new members join the board, expectations are clear.
Behavior matters. Document it. Live it!
(The fourth in a series of insightful thoughts about the importance of agreement of a board’s Purpose, Roles, Goals and Behavior)
Are all your board members rowing in the same direction? Don’t worry if they’re not. There is a fix to this, and this fix holds true whether your board is elected, appointed, or is a volunteer board.
It is an honor and a privilege to be a board member. The position comes with a responsibility to understand the agreed upon purpose of your board. If board members know their board’s purpose, they can understand their roles, base their goals upon their roles, and ultimately exhibit consistent behavior that allows the organization to move forward.
“If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team.”
- Bud Wilkinson
Does your board have goals? Can each member clearly articulate your board’s priorities? Not the organizations' priorities - the BOARD'S priorities.
Board goals define how the board will add value to the
organization. They’re the mutually agreed upon priorities that outline what
will be accomplished.
Board goals are not the CEO’s goals. Board goals define the actions that the BOARD will take in support of the organization and CEO. The CEO’s goals are specific to the operation of the organization. Together, they set the organization on a path to success.
When not aligned on one set of goals, it’s easy to get
side-tracked. The board may react to what seems important at the moment or rely
on “we’ve always done it this way”, without contributing strategically to the
organization’s needs.
Rather than feeling lost in a labyrinth of the day to day, common
goals act as a GPS to guide you through, because what gets emphasized, gets done.
“It's not what boards do (or don't do) but how they do their work that really matters.”
- Peter Eckel and Cathy Trower
RETREATS DON’T HAVE TO BE
“HOURS I’LL NEVER GET BACK”
We’ve all been involved in some sort of group
get-together, labeled a “retreat”. These are generally billed as no-pressure,
casual meetings, usually off-hours, with lots of food and snacks, where we're
supposed to speak freely, have discussions without distractions, and come away
with an understanding of ......what?
Frankly, many of the retreats we have attended have
been disappointing. Some were simply poorly planned. Some brought in “experts”
who spent time lecturing, using age-worn consultant parlor tricks of sticky
notes, multi-voting and breaking off into small groups to discuss things (which
inhibits the whole board from hearing everyone’s thoughts). Others were
ambiguous in their purpose. And in some cases, our fellow board members
resented the time spent.
Retreats can be helpful, if planned properly.
Timeliness, preparation, relevance, engagement, and documentation of your
specific outcomes are the keys to a successful get together.
When is a good time to get your board together for a
retreat? That’s an easy one – the best time for a retreat is BEFORE A SITUATION
ARISES THAT REQUIRES A SOLUTION! That’s kind of obvious but many boards use
retreats to find fixes to today’s issues.
It’s also important that each board member know what
the subject will be and have spent time considering their own thoughts about
the subject.
What constitutes a relevant retreat? This is a hard
one. Relevance is different for every board but generally, we believe that
boards should consider overarching subjects for their retreats. Retreats provide a great way to discuss your
board's purpose, roles, goals and behaviors.
Every board member needs to have their opinion heard
and their story told. The leader of the retreat can have a huge influence on
engagement. Lectures from “the mount”, “sit and get” and “small group
discussions” don’t provide engagement. Instead, they encourage group-think.
Retreats can be meaningful time spent to have an
honest conversation about your organization.
We specialize in boards. We are board members. No parlor tricks, no
fancy speeches. Just a focused discussion with the board regarding your
purpose, roles, goals and behaviors.
Will you have new board members joining you? Spend
time NOW to define and affirm your purpose, your roles and goals, and
especially your expected behavior.
We can help your board! Contact us soon, as our schedule is filling
fast.