Tag: board role

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 …

Servant Leadership, A Dual Role for Boards

Bob Hughes

In his 1977 book Servant Leadership Robert Greenleaf tells of a journey, and a man named Leo… …who accompanies the party as the servant who does their menial chores, but who also sustains them with his spirit and his song. He is a person of extraordinary presence. All goes well until Leo disappears. Then the group falls into disarray and the journey is abandoned. They cannot make it without the servant Leo. The narrator, one of the party, after some Read More …