Author: Rick Maloney

From the Boardroom: Questions Many Boards Never Think to Ask (Part III)

Rick Maloney

In Parts I and II of this post, we considered questions rarely (maybe never) asked by Board members regarding orientation and professional development of board members, the full Board, and its Superintendent/staff. This third part will deal with questions about some strategic Board-level functions: About Planning Strategic Board Functions Strategic planning. Q#1:  Does the Board take responsibility for strategic planning? The Board is likely to answer this question in the affirmative, as this is something the Board does pay attention to, Read More …

From the Boardroom: Questions Many Boards Never Think to Ask (Part II)

Rick Maloney

From the Boardroom: Questions Many #Boards Never Think to Ask (Part II) December 16, 2017 Rick Maloney In Part I of this post, we considered some questions rarely (perhaps never) asked by Board members regarding such topics as the orientation the Board provides to its members, ongoing Board member professional development, and professional development for the Board as a body, focusing on collective behaviors that are not addressed in individual Board member professional development. Some more “never think to ask” Read More …

From the Boardroom: Questions Boards Never Think to Ask (Part I)

Rick Maloney

From the Boardroom: Questions Many Boards Never Think to Ask (Part I) About Development Orientation of new and prospective board members. Q#1:  Does the Board orient its new members? A:  First of all, most boards fail altogether in providing any sort of orientation. Even if an orientation is provided, the board typically leaves such a ‘chore’ to its staff. Guess what? Whoever provides the orientation has a vested interest in training the new member in a way that makes sense Read More …

Board-CEO Relationship: A Three-Legged Stool

Rick Maloney

A Three-Legged Stool In any leadership situation, including the leadership role assumed by a board of directors, a conceptual trio of responsibility, authority, and accountability share an inseparable relationship. Boards of directors must understand this relationship if they are to succeed. Like the legs of a three-legged stool, they must be kept in balance, or they will not stand. Ineffective boards pay little or no attention to this essential balance. A hands-on board, for example, that refuses to delegate authority Read More …

Dealing With the Board’s Limitations

Rick Maloney

Dealing with the Board’s Limitations Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.                     – Leo Tolstoy Recently I described some limitations that can get in the way of board effectiveness, and offered ideas about: Board voice – Unless we “speak” as a board and in writing, what we say as board members has little impact. We should use the power of our “board voice” by putting it in writing; The board – Respect “the board” Read More …

The Ten-Year Agenda as a Strategic Device

Rick Maloney

Operational or Strategic? Most agendas, as described in a recent post (see The Board Agenda, August 18, 2017) are filled with operational matters. Finding out “what the staff are up to” is surely interesting to board members, and it is tempting to excuse it as part of the organizational accountability/evaluation/monitoring function for which a board is responsible, but it is too often just a matter of “wandering around” in the data. The problem with this situation is that there is Read More …

The Board Agenda

Rick Maloney

Board Business or Staff Business: An Agenda that Works – Because a board only acts when it officially meets, and board meetings only occur periodically, it is very important to pay attention to what the board actually does during meetings. In 2008 I wrote an article for the American School Board Journal, describing how our board structured its meetings to focus the board’s work on the board’s business (that which only the board can do, and that which is only Read More …

What’s Wrong With Boards?

Rick Maloney

What’s Wrong With (Too Many) Boards? 8 Lessons for Improving Board Performance “A [board’s] got to know [its] limitations.” – Dirty Harry Ok, so Harry wasn’t a board member. He didn’t go in for collective action – he acted alone, one man standing against ‘system’. Maybe Harry never uttered these exact words, but if he were advising a board, he might have. If a board is to govern effectively, it must understand its own limitations and develop a strategy for Read More …

What’s Wrong with Board Members?

Rick Maloney

 “ἐπὶ δηλήσει δὲ καὶ ἀδικίῃ εἴρξειν (Do no harm)” – Hippocratic oath The first action a public board member takes upon being elected or appointed is to swear (or affirm) an oath of office, as prescribed in law, that promises among other things to support the constitution. Even private boards have a ceremony in which the new member is encouraged to dedicate their efforts to the best interests of the whole enterprise. We tend to think in terms of what Read More …

Governance101

Rick Maloney
framework governance 4 domains Board Readiness Strategic Voice Operational Guidance Accountability

This is the launch of a site whose subject is governance. It is applicable to governing boards of all kinds, whether a public board/council, a corporate or nonprofit board, an association board, a homeowners association board, etc. The site offers a comprehensive look at board responsibilities applicable to all types of boards, some of which boards may fail to consider in their hustle and bustle to get on with the business of the organization. These blog posts will highlight one Read More …