Category: Strategic Voice

The board’s responsibility to speak on behalf of those on whose behalf the board serves. Strategic voice is exercised both externally (advocating for the organization and its beneficiaries) and internally (guiding the organization)

Question #12 – Does Your Board Serve as a Strategic Voice for Your Community?

Rick Maloney

(49 Questions to Ask Your Board) Scenario: Bianca and Sal lingered in the Balboa School District parking lot after a meeting in which next year’s calendar was a hot topic: start and end dates, holidays, the timing of semesters, graduation, etc. In addition, many decisions were made about hiring, contracting for maintenance, and procurement of equipment and supplies. A relative newcomer to the board, Bianca observed that “We never seem to get around to discussing what the community wants us Read More …

Coming Soon: Questions 12-22 (Strategic Voice)

Rick Maloney

(49 Questions to Ask Your Board) Over the course of the next several months, questions 12 thru 22 will explore the board’s responsibility to provide a strategic voice on behalf of the community it serves. That voice is expressed through vision and values that guide the organization as it seeks to assure the community’s desires for student learning. Vision is a component of the board’s responsibility to provide guidance about outcomes desired for students well into an extended future. Questions Read More …

Question #1 – Is Your Board Fully Prepared to Carry Out its Responsibilities?

Rick Maloney

(49 Questions to Ask Your Board) “Be Prepared. That’s the motto…When someone has an accident, you are prepared because of your first aid instruction. Because of lifesaving practice, you might be able to save a non-swimmer who has fallen into deep water… [You should be prepared] to become productive citizens and to give happiness to other people…to be ready in mind and body for any struggles, and to meet with a strong heart whatever challenges might lie ahead. Be prepared Read More …

Seven (Not So) Simple Rules for Board Success – Part I

Rick Maloney
RuleBook

Board success depends on many elements, including the organization’s leadership and culture, the board’s actions, knowledge, and character, and the situation, but the purpose of board leadership can be simply defined as assuring, on behalf of the community, that the organization succeeds. One way to portray leadership is a three-legged stool – each leg must be present for the three to stand together – consisting of responsibility, authority, and accountability. Leaders at every level, including the board in its leadership role, must accept full responsibility for their level in the organization. They must know those whom they serve. They must assign responsibility for doing the work. They must delegate sufficient authority over the work to get the job done. And they must assure accountability for the work. Before all else, they must take responsibility and be accountable for the board’s own performance.

6 Focus Areas for the School Board

Rick Maloney

School boards should review 6 areas to help focus their efforts: the state, the community, the students, the district, the superintendent, and (most important) the board itself.

Gaining New Members? Renew Your Whole Board (Part 3 of 3)

Rick Maloney

The Board Takes Responsibility for Accountability  “Whenever the board gets a new member, a new board is formed.” Part 1 of this post introduced the idea of making the new members’ first day on the job one of intentional induction, not only for the new member but for the “new board” that is being formed. What if the board, seriously accepting responsibility for its own performance, took the opportunity to induct its newest members, while at the same time guiding Read More …

Gaining New Members? Renew Your Whole Board (Part 2 of 3)

Rick Maloney

The Board Takes Responsibility for Strategic Voice and Operational Guidance  “Whenever the board gets a new member, a new board is formed.” Part 1 of this post introduced the above (a traditional saying about boards) as rationale for making the new members’ first day on the job one of intentional induction, not only for the new member but for the “new board” that is being formed. What if the board, seriously accepting responsibility for its own performance, took the opportunity Read More …

Gaining New Members? Renew Your Whole Board (Part 1 of 3)

Rick Maloney

The Board Takes Responsibility for Board Readiness Most boards are underperformers when it comes to helping their newest members rapidly become knowledgeable, contributing members of the governing team. Except for the formal swearing-in that is mandated by law, boards leave professional development up to the individual, and for most new board members, that means the slow and haphazard nature of on-the-job experience. This is partly due to board members acknowledging the independent nature of elected (or appointed) office by keeping 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 …