Rick Maloney

What types of boards are there? And how does board governance compare with teaching as a profession? Understanding the Danielson Framework for Teaching may offer a starting point for answering these […]

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 on […]

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 sayi […]

The best boards keep their noses in the business and their fingers out.

                                          Jim Brown (The Imperfect Board Member)

The Board Role in Supervision

As Jim Brown impli […]

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Lord Acton
The Problem

Early in my first career (24 years in the US Army) I occasionally heard of a senior officer being removed from command due to […]

Boards Matter – Part IV (4th of 4 parts)

Only boards, because of the democratic power they derive from the people, because of their close links with the people, and because of their stability, can provide the l […]

Boards Matter – Part IIIBoards Matter – Part III In the high-achieving districts, the board/superintendent team and school personnel consistently expressed an “elevating” view of st Read More …

Boards Matter – Part II

…we found five district-level leadership “responsibilities” or “initiatives” with a statistically significant (p < .05) correlation with average student achievement.

Ensuring c […]

Boards Matter – Part I
Board members sometimes wonder: “Am I prepared for this job?” “Can the board contribute anything of importance to the mission?” “Does the work of a board matter?”

In the film Mr. Holl […]

From the Boardroom: Questions Many Boards Never Think to Ask (Part IV) From the Boardroom: Questions Many Boards Never Think to Ask (Part IV) February 18, 2018 Rick Maloney This is the last of a four-part series. In Parts I, II Read More …

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 […]

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 […]

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 a […]

Board-CEO Relationship: A Three-Legged Stool A Three-Legged Stool In any leadership situation, including the leadership role assumed by a board of directors, a conceptual trio of responsibility, authority, Read More …

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 […]

The Ten-Year Agenda as a Strategic Device 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 Read More …

The Board Agenda 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 Read More …

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 collectiv […]