BoardDevelopment
Soft Skills Support Hard Leadership Challenges
In a digital market moving at the speed of a video game, recruiting the right staff is a make-or-break activity. But what about the other half of the equation? Most association CEOs don’t hand-pick the board. How do we bring novice players up to speed? What can we do to ensure they have the skills…
Read MoreBuild a Board for the Digital Future
Are your board meetings caught in a frustrating time loop? The faces change, but the concepts are entrenched. Nobody seems to notice that the same initiatives dressed in different costumes are masquerading as something new. Tradition can be a dynamic legacy. But an inheritance of stale ideas sandbags growth and keeps value at bay. In…
Read MoreFor Positive Outcomes, Hold a Mirror Up to Board Performance
Even with a friendly name like “feedback, check-in, or coaching,” a performance evaluation can be uncomfortable, or possibly downright scary. It’s not surprising if volunteers are reluctant to scrutinize themselves in the mirror. That’s probably why more organizations don’t have a process for evaluating the board of directors, or if they do, that assessment…
Read MoreRaise the Board’s Financial IQ
What is your board’s financial IQ? That’s a question every association CEO should be able to answer. While you may not have a Warren Buffett in the group, hopefully, there are some above-average number crunchers. To adequately fulfill the three duties of a nonprofit board member—Care, Loyalty, and Obedience—a solid understanding of the organization’s financial…
Read MoreBeyond the Rainbow—Build a Diverse Board of Independent Thinkers
The boardroom is the last place where CEOs want to rock the boat. But good governance shouldn’t be comfortable. If too many heads bob in agreement, you might want to take a closer look at who is seated at the table. Collegiality among leaders is a good thing. It can fast track important projects. On…
Read MoreOnboarding the Board—Your Opportunity to Promote Peak Performance
How would you describe your board’s performance? Is it— Most association CEOs would say that, from time to time, all three of the above are apt descriptions. In a kinder, gentler marketplace coasting was allowed. Less than stellar board performance might not have been an issue. But, in the fray of digital business, obstacles to…
Read MoreSolutions Day Delivers! A Meeting of Minds, a Journey to Discovery
Once upon a time, technology was an isolated country ruled by a few savants who spoke a strange language. They were powerful but others didn’t always understand, or even care to know, what magic they were up to. Today, the castle is breached. Technology’s strength lies in the opposite of its reclusive beginnings. Collaboration and…
Read MoreWhen the Team Travels to the Future and the Board Lags Behind—How Do You Develop Leaders for the Digital Era?
What happens when your team drives the DeLorean Back to the Future and the board isn’t along for the ride? The office might boast the latest technology with a staff that is ready and able to grow and change. But if the board is stifled by narrow perspectives and retro thinking, do those other pluses…
Read More