On Monday, November 11, Creating the Future’s board and community members began the actual building of what’s next for our own board. The following is a summary of that brain-bending discussion. (To watch or listen to the actual discussion, click here.) Background If there were no such thing as organizations as we currently know them, … Read more
If there were no such thing as organizations as we currently know them, what would we build to accomplish social missions? At our March 2019 meeting (watch or listen here), Creating the Futrue’s board began tackling the nuts-and-bolts of starting anew – designing a brand new structure rooted in the question above. To understand our … Read more
“Is there a way to change your org into a unit of movement capacity and momentum?” That was the question posed by CompassPoint CEO Jeanne Bell when my article about “Organizations vs Movements” was posted at Stanford Social Innovation Review. As our own board at Creating the Future will continue its inquiry into this very … Read more
Research and Development is a big part of Creating the Future’s mission. After all, for the combined impact of all social change efforts to be successful in creating the world we want, we will need to find the most effective ways of accomplishing that! And there is no more important place to focus that R&D … Read more
Reading the definition of governance from dictionary.com, it’s no wonder leaders struggle with effectiveness. Authoritarian control may be what we need from governance in parts of the world that are wildly out of control – the many areas of the world that are ripped apart by violence and instability. But in the vast regions of … Read more
What does a board need in order to lead? No, I’m not talking about what boards are supposed to DO. Leading is not about “doing” but about “being” and “thinking.” What do board members need in order to BE leaders? This is not just an academic question for us, as we are right now in … Read more
Last week at Creating the Future, something happened that couldn’t wait till the board’s next meeting. Stuff like this just happens sometimes, at every organization, everywhere. So we did what boards do when stuff happens. We chatted on the listserv, texted and direct messaged to arrange a conference call, chatted on the phone for a … Read more
Conflict of interest is a critical matter for any board, but it is particularly an issue among founding boards. After all, those boards are usually filled with people who are close to the founder – and when that happens, all sorts of potential for conflict arises. As we build the board at Creating the Future, … Read more
Just as I finished yesterday’s post on the power of inspiring boards (vs. always complaining about them), I saw this newly released video from this year’s TED conference. And man if Barry Schwartz doesn’t say the exact same thing, giving statistical proof that inspiration will accomplish what neither rules NOR incentives can. When we humans … Read more
The other day, I got this tip from a group that specializes in boards and governance. (I’ve redacted the name of the high-profile organization from whence this VERY long paragraph came. I suggest skimming it – don’t read every word or you won’t get to the good stuff!) “Addressing noncompliant board members can be a … Read more