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
The post on Conflict of Interest earlier this week has led to some of the most interesting discussion about organizational leadership issues I’ve seen in a while. To all who participated, thank you! (And to all who missed it, read through the comments here.) Of the many issues that arose in that discussion, some have … Read more
The post on Conflict of Interest earlier this week has led to some of the most interesting discussion about organizational leadership issues I’ve seen in a while. To all who participated, thank you! (And to all who missed it, read through the comments here.) Of the many issues that arose in that discussion, some have led … 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
It’s time for us to do one of the most exciting things I can think of – recruit the founding board for Creating the Future! Yes, exciting. It’s exciting because a board means this organization is real (not that we don’t already have programs that are extremely real, and all the other stuff that says, … 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
“My board shows all the signs of NOT being ready to recruit. So what do we do?” That question came from a reader of my Board Recruitment & Orientation workbook. She was responding to a chapter that lists indicators for whether or not a board is ready to recruit. (There is a similar article at … Read more
When will we stop the ridiculous demand that boards get past their “hang-ups” and just get out there and ask people for money? This morning’s Google Alert linked me to yet another article excerpted from yet another book on how to get boards to “Break Through Fundraising Anxiety” – this one from BoardSource, but it … Read more