High Performance Board
Would you like a board where board members are participating actively in every meeting, they come up with constructive, unique ideas, constructively critique, follow-up and monitor to improve as much as control? A board that uses and respect each other’s skills and competencies? Then you are looking for a High Performance Board.
The law and good governance give the basis for the board’s work, but to develop into a High Performance Board requires:
Right competencies + Right Leadership + Constant Development = High Performance Board
Types of services helping to develop and form your High Performance Board.
- Become a High Performance Board® – fully utilize your board members individual skills
- Board Evaluation – an objective evaluation of your board and its performance
- Board Structure Strategy – exactly what competencies are needed on your board
- High Performance Chairman – be an excellent leader of your board
- Advisory boards – how to create a strong, active advisory board.
What a client said after a restructuring of his board:
Shelly Lipton: Board Structure Strategy for Second Chance Toys.
“Lena is a ‘rock star’, and anyone looking to form or streamline a Board needs to speak with her.”
Cases
Board members are typically already high-performance individuals. To fully utilize these skills and take advantage of the energy and synergy the board has to work as a team.
The basis is, of course, to have the right competencies on the board and the right board structure according to the organization’s mission, strategy, and goals.
Each project is customized to the organization’s goals and challenges. Typically a project has five phases:
- Interview and review
- Board analysis
- Definition of desired structure and behavior
- Board design
- Tools and planning
Project examples
Inactive company board members
Problem
A four-year-old company converted its board from an advisory board to a board of directors after two years. The members still behave as an advisory board, lot’s of idea’s, but limited hands-on. Meetings are much longer than planned. Often the agenda is not covered due to lack of time. Lot’s of good ideas, but not in the scope.
Goal
A professional board of directors that can develop the organization from a start-up organization to a sustainable organization.
Solution
Needed competence profiles identified. Individual board profiles made. Recruiting strategy. Committee structure designed. Year planner implemented.
Outcome
Eight new members added. Five old members resigned. Three former members committed to the new way of operating as a board. Strategy work for the organization started.
Unprofessional non-profit board
Problem
A 20-year-old organization has for the last four years experienced that the board members are less and less attentive and active participants during and between the meetings. Further, it gets more and more challenging to make the board members contribute financially to the organization with the sum they have provided with in the past.
Goal
Revitalize the interest and funding. Act as a professional board to signal that this is a well functioning board to attract more substantial donations.
Solution
Improved material and structure for the meetings. Defined and written committee descriptions. Definition of desired competencies’ for the board to add newly energized board members. Yearly board pledge.
Outcome
Two new board members added. Board meetings much more effective and focused. Fundraising increasing.