Tag: board members Blog

Sharpening the Focus for Boards of Directors

Boards of directors clearly have ultimate decision-making authority for everything under their guidance. But in actual practice, many boards don’t exercise that authority. Staff often drafts a recommendation and brings it to the board to ratify. This may be efficient, but it casts the board in the role of “rubber stamping.” Over time, this erodes …

The Evolution of Non-Profit Boards

Non-profit Boards of Directors typically follow an evolutionary path as the organization matures. This tool lays out three stages of Board evolution and identifies the characteristic behaviors of each stage. This tool can apply to public agencies, city councils, non-profits, and co-ops. Board members can use this tool to help clarify their role and adapt …

10 Responsibilities of a Non-Profit Board of Directors

This tool spells out ten important responsibilities of a Non-Profit Board of Directors. Board members – and staff – can use this tool to make sure their boards stay on track. Keep in mind that the Board governs the organization – not individual Board members. Board members need to work together to fulfill these responsibilities. …

The 5 Habits of High-Performing Boards

When a Board of Directors serves in a governing capacity (e.g. for a non-profit, a public agency, or a corporation), the Board needs to act in certain ways in order to assure high levels of performance throughout the organization. This tool lays out the five habits of high-performing governing boards. Learn more about facilitating the adoption …

Developing Governance Policies – How Effective Boards Work

I worked recently with the Board of Directors of a large public power company. They needed stronger governance systems. I talked about how effective boards work. I detailed our approach. “With our framework,” I told them, “the board expresses exactly what it wants the organization to achieve in the form of policies. By defining what …

Managing the Board of Directors

Today, I met with the head of a large public agency (10,000 employees) and we talked about managing his Board of Directors so that they are supportive of his vision.

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