February 22, 2022
Thousands of organizations establish advisory boards for all kinds of reasons, often with abundant implicit expectations, but vague purpose and expected outcomes...
February 14, 2022
Can we take a minute to talk about your minutes? Most of us understand that minutes need to demonstrate that an organization is acting in the best interests of its owners or funders...
January 18, 2022
Leaders often praise and reward heroic actions, the “dive in the dirt” moves that save the day. Sometimes speed and boldness win the day, but heroics can lure us into using ad-hoc interventions as a default instead of doing the less glamorous work that makes heroics rare and mostly unnecessary.
January 3, 2022
The disruptive impacts of COVID will continue to challenge all sectors in 2022. We know that the magnitude will lessen this year; it is the uncertainty and unproductivity that creates havoc. What are boards prioritizing this year?
December 14, 2021
Most boards and most senior executives engage in strategic planning exercises on a routine basis. What’s wrong with that? Maybe nothing...
December 1, 2021
British author Mary Anne Evans, who used the pen name George Eliot, once advised, “The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men.” The same can be said of directors who create disruption that leads to recovery after a crisis...
November 17, 2021
While there is no proven formula for how often boards of directors should meet, most often I have counselled boards to meet less frequently, rarely have I recommended a board meet more often. Too frequent board meetings occur more commonly...
November 1, 2021
Boards can frequently trace flawed decisions to the process directors used in making the decision: unclear objectives, wrong information, disproportionately weighting options, etc. Often, however, the fault lies not with the process but with the mindset of those making decisions. When directors think about their decision-making in traditional ways, too often they fall through one of these decision-making traps..
October 12, 2021
The role of boards is well understood – they give strategic advice, focus on increasing value, and identify, avoid, or mitigate risk. Yet, sometimes board members, precisely because they are experienced and successful executives, step over the line...
