It's Time for Your Board to Hit the Reset Button

When we all look back on "Covid" time, what will we remember? Isolation? Masking? Disagreements about vaccinations? Take-out? Zoom?

What we remember is the lost time chatting with colleagues. Just chatting. Meetings were held virtually, often from the privacy of our home. Shirts were required, but that’s about all. Cats, children, and sirens played a large part of our meetings. Sure, it was comfortable – sitting at your kitchen table, discussing things with your fellow board members. But having to raise your hand and push a button to be heard may have taken the steam out of your thought.

Let’s face it – not all decisions can be made quickly. Some of the most important time of any meeting is the 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after the meeting, when we speak to friends and colleagues, compare thoughts, discuss last night’s ball game or whatever decisions you are about to make, and generally, gain one another’s confidence.

Covid took all that away. Meetings were shorter and more abrupt. Sometimes, the ability to speak freely was removed by technical issues. The inability to schmooze did cut down on the discussion and rendered quicker decisions, but often without knowing and understanding why a decision was being made. Yes, this is a generalization. Many of us still covet the quicker decision making. But there are drawbacks.

For boards, whether they be volunteer, appointed or elected, this quicker decision-making may have polarized your board. It may appear to others that you have “taken sides” – not necessarily due to the subject being discussed but because of the necessarily shorter time that you took to make a decision. And if you were required by open meeting laws to stream your meetings, the public watching may have been disenchanted at the (relative and perceived) lack of discussion. Sure, the political climate had something to do with that but no virtual meeting can take the place of in-person, face-to-face conversation.

So, what do we do? How can we regain the trust of our colleagues and those we serve?

Our suggestion is to hit the reset button. Start by having a frank discussion about why your board exists. What is the purpose of the board? Not the purpose of the organization that you serve but the purpose of the board. Make sure you all agree on the board’s purpose. This will galvanize your board toward a common objective, enable efficiency in your decision making, unify the team and encourage trust.

Once your purpose is identified and agreement is reached, discuss your roles as board members. Don’t dwell on the past – look to the future. Roles may be forgotten during the chaos of a crisis. Write them down.

Next, talk about the goals that you have as a board – not past goals, 2020 is over – future goals. What does the board want to accomplish going forward?

Finally, talk about your behavior. Were there elements of behavior that were detrimental to the board? In the heat of the moment, we often let emotion drive our behavior. What was the impact of your behavior on your organization?

Let us help you RESET your board!

Our Conversation With Joel Goldberg

We were fortunate to sit down with Joel Goldberg for an episode of "Rounding the Bases", his podcast about culture and leadership, with a baseball twist. 

We had a lively conversation about today's issues and the need for agreement of a board's Purpose, Roles, Goals and Behaviors, and how BOARDynamics can help a board achieve this agreement.

Contact us as our schedule is filling.

We look forward to helping your board!

You can follow Joel at:

Facebook: @goldbergkc

Instagram: @joelgoldbergkc

LinkedIn: @goldbergkc

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

  (The sixth 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.

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!

BEHAVIOR MATTERS!

 (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!

Does Your Board Have Goals?

(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.