LUE-42 Enterprises December 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 142, December 2022

It's a snowy day at the end of a snowy month. The sky is grey today, but the month has been sunny enough that even the rough patches in a life don't seem so bad.

Professional development! In-person events! Coffee & beer! Live theatre! Road trips! Remembrance Day at the Edmonton International Airport with our Honour Guard and a wonderful children's choir! So many things to delight.

I drove to Regina for the 109th Grey Cup where, in a nail-biter, Toronto beat Winnipeg. Many of our usual suspects were there (including a giant cut-out of Brian's face) and we celebrated/commiserated as we do. That's 27 GCs for me and I never get tired of having my picture taken with the Cup.

I visited family in Victoria that I haven't seen since the olden days (pre-Covid). The storytelling was awesome and it was good to get caught up. Beer studies have been sidelined in favour of other types of work, which I am enjoying. People from my past are finding their way back to me and it's great to be able to help their organizations.

Have you noticed lately how Boards are talking about some really important stuff? Yes, they always do but I mean seriously meaty topics, built on values. I am excited by this.

My name was not drawn in the Fringe lottery, but I still want to write a new play. Words are coming, but not a story. This seems to be my process, so I will honour it but writing down what comes and hope for the best!

My dear kitty Grace has rallied from some significant health challenges and keeps purring away; making my bad days good and good days better. I hope you have something or someone that does the same for you.

While it seems early to say it, I wish you all the best of the holiday season and look forward to reconnecting with you in the new year.

/lmwe

LEXOPHILES

"Lexophile" is a word used to describe those that have a love for words, such as "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish", or "to write with a broken pencil is pointless." A competition to see who can come up with

the best lexophiles is held every year in an undisclosed location. This year's winning submissions:

.. When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate

.. A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.

.. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.

.. The batteries were given out free of charge.

.. A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.

.. A will is a dead giveaway.

.. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.

.. A boiled egg is hard to beat.

.. When you've seen one shopping centre you've seen a mall.

.. Police were summoned to a daycare centre where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.

.. Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He's all right now.

.. A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired.

.. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.

.. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.

.. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.

.. When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she'd dye.

.. Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.

.. Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.

Consent Agenda Clarity

"The Best Board Meeting I Ever Attended" (Les Wallace; last month's issue) recommended using a Consent Agenda. A deeper dive into this tool is warranted. For this column, Board Forward was my guide.

Consent Agendas help a board save time by grouping routine, non-controversial topics into one agenda item. I usually see it on a regular meeting agenda, within the first few items. The Consent Agenda "is approved in one action and by one vote by the board, rather than requiring motions to be filed on each individual item."

I have some opinions about what belongs on a consent agenda, but I like the Board Forward list because it doesn't always align with my way. I DO agree with this: "Generally, topics that have not been discussed by the board in the past should not be put on the consent agenda."

Consent Agenda items typically include:

Committee and previous board meeting minutes; (Sort of, but we'll get back to this)
Office or committee reports; (Yes)
Routine correspondence that require no action; (Yes)
Minor changes in a policy or procedure (e.g., for purposes of clarity or to update without changing intent or meaning); (Love this!)
Routine policy revisions (e.g., changes in dates or dollar amounts due to changes in laws); (Yes)
Updating documents, such as minutes, reports, or role descriptions; (No to 2 of 3)
Standard contracts that are used regularly (e.g., confirmation of using the traditional in-house contract with a new vendor); (OK; I don't normally see these at board meetings anyway)
Confirmation of conventional actions that are required in the bylaws (e.g., signatory authority for a bank account or acceptance of gifts); (No, for the bank)
Final approval of proposals or reports that have been fully discussed and vetted at past meetings; (No, let's discuss)
Reports provided for information only. (Yes!)

"At the meeting, the board Chair should first ask members if they wish to move any consent agenda items to the regular agenda for further discussion. This is essential as members should be able to make such a request for any reason. If requested, the board Chair would move the item and open it up for discussion during the regular agenda, or make it a parking lot item for future debate."

After any items have been moved and the consent agenda is set, the board chair recites the items on the consent agenda and moves to adopt it.

If there is mistrust on the board, a Consent Agenda won't work. The documents on a Consent Agenda should have all the same supporting documents as a regular agenda item, and the directors need to prepare with their same level of diligence. A Consent Agenda is NOT a place to try to slip something by the board or an opportunity for the board to slack off.

Now to the 4 items we flagged:

Committee minutes are perfect for a Consent Agenda; board minutes deserve special treatment. Here is some wording that demonstrates the "next level" importance of board minutes. "Hearing no objection, the Chair declared the Minutes of November 1, 2022, meeting of the Board of Directors approved as presented, and the rest of the minutes and reports in the Consent Agenda received for information." In this way the Board minutes get approved (which they should be) and the rest is info (which it should be).
Updates to board minutes should probably require a separate motion; role descriptions/Terms of Reference are policies which should have their own motions (plus it makes policy amendments easier to track).
It is my experience that banks always want to see a separate banking resolution in the minutes. This will make your life, and theirs, easier.
Final approvals -- you may think you've discussed them to death but you likely haven't. Put these on the regular agenda and get it dealt with there, just to be sure.

A Consent Agenda should make your meetings more efficient and productive. Freeing up time for the big stuff is what we're after and a Consent Agenda will certainly help.

/lmwe

Some People Who Made Life Better in November

Jeff Baker, Rob Bresciani, Karen Brown Fournell, David Cheoros, Leo Ezerins, Bruce Findley, Kevin Garner, Liz Garratt, Carrie Habinski, Angela Hanson, Ildiko Hayzel, Rhonda Hjorth, Billie Lang, Pat Macdonald, Sidney Manning, Dr. Barb Muzyka, Dr. Sherry Pettifor, Hector Pothier, Paul Rechner, Kathy Roy, Lori Schmidt, Janna Tominiuk, Theresa Tsoukalas, Marissa Turton, Gerry West, Joe & Rita Wood, Jody Zabludowski

"Let me always, count my

blessings. To be thankful for

my family and friends."

-- Catherine Pulsifer