l401 in 2012 case notes
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January 18, 2011 1
CASE NOTES
Laying the Groundwork for Success in 2012Leadership 401
Case One: Behind the Eight Ball
Issues
The President has taken over
President has a personal agenda Took over in the absence of a succession plan Lack of discussion with staff President-Elect busy and not stepping up Lack of dialogue between the President and the President-
Elect Board didn't provide direction to the President to take
over as he has
President appears to be enjoying the new role
The Board was unprepared
Problems accelerated by board not making quickdecisions
Some issues not taken care of (left the board in the lurch) Board does not appear to be aware of preliminary
discussions with neighbouring board
Unclear role of President-Elect in crisis situation Unclear role of Past President in crisis situation Unclear roles (expectations) of Directors Not focused on the strategic plan No attention to the importance of succession and
contingency planning
Loss of Executive Officer (EO) and need to hire new EO
Not accessing the staff to assist in the interim (lack ofcross training)
Casual approach to dealing with EO loss No contingency or succession plan in place No sense of urgency No dialogue about what is needed in a new EO - do we
need another Jack or something else?
Member concerns and confusion
Hearsay and gossip i.e. locker room email Lack of communication to members about the situation AGM coming up in a few weeks
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January 18, 2011 2
Case One: Behind the Eight Ball
Solutions
Call an emergency meeting
Agenda to include:- What to do- How to do it- Upcoming AGM- Process to hire new EO
Develop a 'repair plan' to address member and staffconcerns and confusion
The President needs to step aside to remove currentconflict of interest
In times of crisis, the importance of good governance ishighlighted
Develop a communication plan to members and otherstakeholders
Work from a plan - don't jump the gun Use a phased-in approach Communicate something quickly to address gossip and
misperceptions
Express the sentiment, We are continuing on with thebusiness of the association
Seek External Assistance as required to initiate an EO search
process
Legal Recruiting OREA
Develop a contingency plan and a succession plan
Contingency Plan
Contingency details (keys, passwords, codes, bankinginfo)
Do you have what you need to know to function smoothlywithout the EO? (business of the day)
Succession Plan
Needs to be very carefully developed and be kept current
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January 18, 2011 3
Case Two: There Has to be a Better Way
Issues
The Board is not governing effectively
a) Board appears to have no appreciation of goodgovernance
Meetings unorganized not following agendas Lack of strategic planning focusing on operations Doing committee work at the Board table Old boys club resisting change
b) Actions of some board members contribute to poorgovernance
Absenteeism leaving meetings early Too many meetings Checking messages at meetings not focused on
business at hand
Parking Lot meetings (meeting after the meeting)c) President appears to be a weak leader
No control over Board meetings Meetings with no resolution (non-productive)
The Executive Officer is operating unilaterally on some issues
Ineffective governance aggregates the EOs timecommitments
EO is circumventing the Board and acting on somematters without approval of the Board
Frustrated and hints at risk of accepting a job change -potential loss of EO
President-Elect is not stepping up
Frustrated and determined Lack of President-Elect development No partnering with President No passing of wisdom Does not appear to have spoken to President about her
concerns
Member Perceptions are damaging
Lack of communication Perception that the Board is not functioning effectively Reluctance for new people to join due to perceived weak
governance
How are members learning what's happening at the Boardtable?
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January 18, 2011 4
Case Two: There Has to be a Better Way
Solutions
Strengthen framework for effective governance
Review responsibilities of the Chair Review training materials and good governance resources Update / create governance policies as appropriate Take a look at streamlining committees Divide and conquer old boys club (e.g. one-on-one
meetings)
Keep senior staff person performing effectively Ensure quorum (scheduling, timing, remote participation) Orient new Board members on effective governance,
strategic planning
Ensure ample materials distributed in advance ofmeetings to aid in good decision making
Plan for ample time in meetings to have good discussionabout important issues
When dealing with contentious issues, stop and talk aboutthe criteria which will be used to address the issue / make
the decision
Share background information on why decisions weremade (context) for newer Directors
Institute attendance threshold Reconsider using Directors for committees
Communicate...communicate...communicate...
Sit down with EO - discuss problems and find solutions Damage control - communicate good work of the
association
Outreach to get people involved to stimulate newapproaches
Don't be shy as leaders to call out the 'elephant in theroom'
Start somewhere - anywhere
Communicate positive messaging Get team work going with the President, President-Elect
and EO - don't work to assumptions, dialogue instead
Use next meeting to express issues at the Board Use CRA compliance guidance for Not-For-Profit Status
agenda item at the next meeting to recommend or
implement better decision-making
Work carefully within the culture of the existing Board
Tread carefully to recognize current culture and patterns Quietly try to break apart systemic problems Develop a plan for gradual strengthening Seek objective third party assistance as appropriate
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