LUE-42 Enterprises April 2022 Ezine

I Believe In Fairness, Fun, And Sharing What I’ve Learned With The People Who Make This Planet A Great Place To Live

Issue 134, April 2022

"Spring is sprung, the grass is riz,

I wonder where the flowers is."

-- Ogden Nash (maybe)

My mom said that rhyme every year and it always made me laugh. Right now we are seeing all seasons in the same day, but at least the calendar tells me it's spring.

Without getting dramatic, I can say that in March I wasn't "okay." I knew I would be okay eventually, but most days were a challenge. If you felt the same way, then congratulations on getting to April. Heck, congratulations to all of us anyway!

When one is the Executrix/Personal Representative of an estate, one must always act in the best interests of the estate (like a director's fiduciary duty to always act in the best interests of the organization). And so while I took that few days in Golden in February I listed and sold the house (with the help of a professional, of course).

This decision was not convenient for me, or for my many friends who helped me pull off the impossible in about 5 weeks from idea to closing the door behind me on Tuesday.

We all know how emotions are tied to places and things, and while I had done admirable downsizing, it appears I was not even close. I will have to dig way deeper to live a life less fettered by "stuff," and all of this takes a huge toll on a person. Still, there is just no way that all the stuff I just moved can continue to live with me. So I will start the process again.

I rented a condo on a six month lease so Grace (the cat) and I can catch our breath and figure out what next (besides getting rid of more stuff). Brian's estate matters will not be finished by then, so there may be more surprises. This is what we do for the people we love.

Just like you, work and other commitments continued in the midst of personal drama (or is it just "life"?). I still managed to volunteer. I still managed to try a new Nepalese restaurant and see two plays. I still managed to see friends (but mostly while they helped me pack!). I gave away stuff to friends and to strangers through a wonderful "Buy Nothing" Facebook group. Take a photo, post it, put the item on the doorstep, and -- POOF! -- it disappears. Wish I'd discovered that months earlier!

I am getting excited about football season, and the new Edmonton Elks CEO has everyone talking (this time in a good way). You may recall a few months ago I talked about my football team and its problem with organizational culture. I think the Elks Board saw it too, and it is clear that a positive culture shift is in process. These things take time but when you feel hopeful, it's easier to go along for the ride.

I have enjoyed my work and my clients and all the interesting things they are doing. I love the opportunity to learn along with them and (always) to share that learning. What I can't do this month is talk to you about the war, or the virus, or any of the truly important global things that are going on. I just don't have it in me, and I suspect that you hear enough of it anyway. For all the things out there that are a burden on you, I pray your load becomes easier. Happy April, friends.

/lmwe

(CGO, from right column)

There is quite a bit of info in the article, so I encourage you to check out the whole thing and come to your own conclusions. One size will not fit all (does it ever?). You might want to try a CGO as a temporary position to start and see what fits.

The article concludes that, "Too many nonprofit boards are stuck in a rut of substandard governance and need a new way to break out." On that we agree entirely.

/lmwe

Chief Governance Officer?

Stanford Social Innovation Review recently published "Does Your Non-profit Board Need a CGO?" (Paul Jansen & Helen Hatch, March 21/22). Their idea that organizations should have a Chief Governance Officer is, I realized, a description of the role performed by Corporate Secretaries (aka Company Secretaries, Chartered Secretaries) for generations. I should know because I am one.

Jansen and Hatch are not wrong, but their only addition to the conversation is a preference that the CGO be a board member. I don't necessarily buy that. but I DO support a CGO. Non-profits who have introduced a "governance nerd" (my word) know the value. So if it's time to get the word out, this article is a good place to start.

BoardSource and Stanford identified 8 sources of inconsistent governance:

1. Nonprofit directors often lack a shared understanding of what good governance means. Few define “governance” the same way. They note that “poor initial training and a lack of continuing director education perpetuates an underemphasis on governance and handicaps the board’s ability to be effective partners in driving organizational performance.”

2. Nonprofit boards do not always have the right voices in the boardroom. Time commitments and fundraising obligations were cited as barriers to recruiting younger and more diverse candidates.

3. Pressure to help organizations meet annual fundraising targets shifts attention away from governance. The Stanford survey found that almost half of NFP boards require board members to fundraise, and on those boards 90% believe that fundraising is their most important duty. (Yikes)

4. Boards fail to regularly assess governance performance and develop improvement plans. Fewer than 50% of boards completed a self-assessment in the last two years; 1/3 have never completed one. Boards that regularly self-assess perform better against key governance responsibilities than boards that do not.

5. Poor governance processes push boards to underinvest in critical issues and governance activities. Weak governance processes contribute to inconsistent governance. Typical flaws: Inefficient meetings, poor facilitation, unwieldy agendas, outdated committee structures, weak committee leadership, lack of focus and accountability, rubber stamp decisions, inadequate preparatory materials with tight timelines, lack of accurate key performance indicators, etc.

6. A low-accountability board culture leads to inconsistent effort by individual directors. A strong board culture “has a significant influence on the way [a] board carries out its work.” When day jobs get in the way, boards become “nonprofit nice” and fail to hold underperforming directors accountable.

7. Confusion between the board’s role and that of management. As passionate volunteers, nonprofit directors can overstep boundaries and get too involved in the day-to-day activities of the organization, frustrating nonprofit managers and diverting time from more appropriate governance topics.

8. Governance has gotten tougher. The risks facing our organizations have multiplied. Common challenges include financial complexity, technology, sociocultural shifts, increased public scrutiny, and evolving legal duties.

The article notes that these issues “require boards to be on the lookout for the next big issue or risk, which is where a CGO could help.” Jansen and Hatch suggest the key roles of a CGO include:

1. Ensure compliance with legal and social expectations. (Oversight)

2. Champion the adoption of proven governance practices that enable the board to help the organization fulfill its mission effectively and efficiently. (Best practices)

They go on to say that the CGO could be an advisor to the whole board and a thought partner to the busy board chair, asking thought provoking questions with a hands-on role in reviewing, educating, orienting, engaging, and monitoring. Does this sound like a governance committee? Yes, but apparently half of nonprofit boards don't have one!

So the need is there. Whether the CGO is an identified member of the board or Corporate Secretary doesn't matter. Getting leadership in governance will make your organization perform better. (Jump to the left column for this bit, okay? Thanks).

Some People Who Made Life Better in March

MaryJane Alanko, JudyLynn Archer, Ginny Arnott-Wood, Chantelle Chevrier Painter, Jim Gwartney, Marg Hart, Rhonda Hjorth, Andrew Hoskins, Kimberley Hunter & Stewart Lee, Lynn MacAskill, Pat Macdonald, Jeff Mawson, Kelly McClung, Sherrill McGilvray, David Miriguay, Tara Morrow, Wendy Nielsen, Erin O'Neill, Lori Schmidt, Shelley Smith, Mike Smith-Knutsen, Wanda Stephens, Donna Stonehocker, Ethel Thorne, Theresa Tsoukalas, Gerry West, Cathy Wood, Jenny Wood Narine

“No matter what accomplishments you make, someone helps you.”

― Althea Gibsony

Some Links

I Like

Dance in a Time of War (Blog on art in time of war)

5 Ways to Improve Your AGM (Article from Watson)

Talent vs. Effort (Tips from the Savvy Director)

Value of Lived Experience (How and why we should broaden our Boards)

Elevating Board Room Discussion (Some great tips in here)

On the Beauty of Cats (Dave Baddiel on Superiority of Cats)

Chelsea's Light Foundation Closes (Mission completed. Let that sink in...)

Some Quotes I Like

"People mistake their limitations for high standards."

-- Jean Toomer

“What people say, what people do, and what they say they do

are entirely different things.”

– Margaret Mead

“Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about the things that matter.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

"To lose patience is to lose the battle."

-- Mahatma Gandhi

“Talent is how quickly your skills improve when you invest effort into them. Achievement is what happens when you take those acquired skills and use them.”

-- Angela Duckworth

"Directors work on what you give them. If you don't give them anything strategic

to work on, they might just work on you."

-- Scott Baldwin

"The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness."

-- Eric Hoffer