A1: Building an Effective Board: Strategies for Success
Area of Focus: Executive Leadership, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Leadership and Organizational Development
Content Level: Doer
Related COA Accreditation standards: Governance (GOV)
An effective board is a cornerstone of organizational success. By focusing on role clarity, strategic planning, and fostering a collaborative culture, leaders can unlock the full potential of their boards to drive impactful results.
This session will equip participants with the knowledge and tools needed to achieve these goals and elevate their governance practices. This session aims to provide board members, executives, and organizational leaders with actionable learnings and strategies to enhance board effectiveness.
Key themes include:
Role Clarity:
- Understand the distinct responsibilities of the CEO, executive team, and board members
- Highlight the importance of the board’s focus on strategic direction
- Explore best practices for defining roles to avoid overlaps and ensure accountability
Strategic Direction:
- Techniques for establishing shared ownership of organizational goals
- Methods to practice informed decision making
- Steps to develop a board work plan
Board Team and Culture:
- Recruitment strategies to attract diverse and qualified board members
- Approaches for creating an inclusive culture
- Continuous development methods, including mentoring, orientation, and succession planning
Effective Meeting Practices:
- Optimize board meetings using consent agendas and prioritizing strategic discussions
- Facilitation techniques to encourage productive discussions and achieve meeting objectives
- Post-meeting follow-up practices to ensure accountability and progress
Committees and Crisis Management:
- How to drive purpose of board committees to focus on strategic priorities
- How to develop a robust crisis communication plan to safeguard organizational reputation and trust
- How to align board activities with organizational goals, optimize decision making, and create high-performing governance teams
Learning Objectives
- Key opportunities to improve board operations, shown through real examples
- How to develop actionable plans for optimizing a board’s work
- How to address common challenges (lack of engagement, unclear roles, or inefficient meetings)
Presenter
Christina Gullo
Owner/Partner
True North Executive Solutions