Issue 79 - September 5, 2023
What resonates with politicians, whether advocating for added resources or better policies? Probably the best place to start is to ask. Here are some of the responses we received. Read on here.
Your meetings are too long! And too boring!
Research from mmhmm informs us how to make meetings valuable. Read the whole interesting blog. Here is but a summary:
Half say that most meetings don’t help them be more productive. So what's the key to making meetings more valuable?
--and only 16% said a meeting feels valuable when snacks are provided.
Two-thirds (68%) think it’s great that meetings have become more casual since the pandemic. Still, there’s an opportunity to make our behavior relevant for the hybrid video era.
Read more in the full blog article by mmhmm.
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Better Boards. Better Communities. is committed to bringing you the resources you need to improve and grow in good governance. Many resources are available without charge from a variety of organizations worldwide. To save you valuable time, we have scoured the internet and curated all the best resources into one collection for you!
We are pleased to announce that a new section has been added to our curated collection of free governance resources!
Visit our resource collection now to view Section 3.6 Code of Conduct
Please, share the link widely with your friends and colleagues so that everyone can benefit from these excellent resources without charge: https://www.betterboardsbettercommunities.com/resources
According to Prosper Strategies, we’ve all been operating with an old rule book for not-for-profit strategy work that tells us strategy is the sole responsibility of the leaders on your board and staff. The old rule book keeps the people most affected by your organization’s work out of the strategy process or involves them in ways that only create an “illusion of inclusion.” This has got to stop. Not only is it ineffective, but it’s also inequitable. It’s time to rewrite the rules that govern not-for-profit strategy.
It’s time to redistribute the power to shape our not-for-profits’ strategies to our stakeholders.
Despite the many important moves our sector has taken to double down on its commitment to equity and inclusion, so many organizations are still shaping their strategic plans (and communications, fundraising, and program plans, etc.) without meaningfully including the people they serve, and their other diverse stakeholders, in the process. This is no different from a business shaping its strategy without asking for input from its customers.
Enter: Shared Power Strategy. It’s a new approach to co-creating your not-for-profit’s strategies hand-in-hand with your many diverse stakeholders and aligning them once and for all to the priorities of the people and communities you exist to serve. It’s also the philosophy that guides all of the work at Prosper Strategies.
September is a time of new beginnings! Do you have new board members joining you this season? Or are you ready to reinvigorate your board to work together and boost your impact? I developed The Board Member 101 course just for that. It's only 4 weeks, on your own schedule, and has my personal money-back guarantee. Doors close this week so sign up now and make this season count! Register now to get in on the September cohort. Doors close on Friday!
Sincerely,
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Dr. Haycock holds an MBA, MEd and AMLS in addition to a doctorate in leadership and management. He has been on the senior leadership teams of large school boards and multi-million-dollar associations as well as chairing small arts and association boards. Currently research professor (honorary) at the University of Southern California, he is former director and professor emeritus at both San Jose State University and the University of British Columbia. Ken lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
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