LUE-42 Enterprises December 2023 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 154, December 2023

November was everything you could want in a month: working, learning, playing, resting (and repeating). It felt more "balanced" than the last several months have felt, and for that I am truly grateful.

CFL playoffs happened (well, not for my team) and then it was off to the 110th Grey Cup in Hamilton. Hamilton folks were great hosts -- I assume it's because they weren't distracted by having their team in the championship game this time. I reconnected with friends, mingled with my football heroes, and witnessed an exciting game. One can't really ask for more (except for my team to be in it). The countdown to 2024 training camp is on!

I was privileged to be able to speak at the CSAE national conference in Montreal (Acts of Courage at the Board Table, Vol. 2) and I also attended some fantastic sessions. Decades into my career, I am always thrilled that there's still so much to learn and still some things I want to avoid (currently that is A.I.). I even met some new mentors and friends along the way (plus there was a Barbie suite!).

Remembrance Day at the Edmonton International Airport was another special time. The honour guard, children's choir, youth pipe band, and cadets all contributed to the impact and importance of taking time to remember.

I visited a few breweries in November and also hosted the beer exchange for our advent calendar crew. With the beer judging and tasting I've been doing, I expect some pretty strong numbers by year end (hey, for some of us it really is a contest!).

My name was drawn in the Edmonton Fringe lottery, so I'd better get serious and use some of this downtime for writing. Expect a new play from me in August 2024, and I hope for something else too, even sooner.

I need to shout out the new Beatles song Now and Then. I am stunned and moved by it. Brian would have loved it.

My place is set up for the holidays and I am in "nesting" mode for a few weeks. That means cooking, listening to music, happy movies and specials, and fun theatre events and pageants. Things are shaping up nicely!

Wherever you find yourself this month and this season, please enjoy and be well. Thanks for being on the ride with me in 2023 and we will catch you on the flipside!

/lmwe

"There's room for everyone here,

I'm just happy to have a seat

at the table."

-- Haley Kiyoko

A New Role

for Boards?

In the Soundview review of Andrew Liveris' book Leading Through Disruption: A Changemakers Guide to 21st Century Leadership, I was interested to read the section on how boards need to look in our changing world. Here are the highlights:

What's Different:

Shareholder enrichment isn't the last word anymore.
Boards must reflect a diverse society.
Serving the interests of ALL stakeholders is paramount.
Board members govern as Owners.

Characteristics of Enlighted Boards:

Depth -- Both Verticals (deep expertise/ experience in a single subject) and Horizontals (widespread expertise encompassing a wide variety of subjects and areas) are needed at the table.

Size -- Boards are/should be getting smaller (8-10). You can bump it up a bit if it helps you be more inclusive.

Rigo(u)r -- Directors need to be able to take the same heat in the medium to long term as the CEO does. And they need to be able to do the work because they have deep knowledge of the sector. (NB: This one is fascinating!)

Inclusiveness -- The board needs to resemble the makeup of the world in which they operate. CEOs must "incorporate the historically excluded percentage into their thinking, perspective, strategy, and vision." Doing this will also help increase the CEOs bandwidth.

Blend -- The board should be a blend of stakeholders (e.g., financial community, employees, customers, governments, and members of the community).

Long-Termism -- The CEO needs to manage multiple layers of the board that represent all the company’s stakeholders. The board is the point at which company executives and stakeholders connect.

The author notes that Enlightened Boards are an emerging and important factor in managing enterprises this century. We can definitely help our organizations get there!

Soundview book review here

/lmwe

Name that Collector

Arctophilist: Teddy bears
Brandophilist: Cigar bands
Coleopterist: Beetles
Deltiologist: Postcards
Falerist: Medals, badges, pins
Horologist: Clocks
Notaphilist: Banknotes
Oologist: Bird eggs
Phillumenist: Match boxes, match books
Plangonologist: Dolls
Scripophilist: Bonds, share certificates
Tegestologist: Beer coasters
Vecturist: Subway tokens
Vexillogist: Flags

(Costco Connection, August 2023)

Some People Who Made Life Better in November

Chris Agar, MaryJane Alanko, Heather/Frank Bishop, Jane/Rob Burns, Lori Bursey, Brian Carey, Jonathan Cote, Leo Dodge, Leo Ezerins, Mandy Foster, Carrie Habinski, Sue/Bill Haddox, Andrew Hoskins, Dave Hughes, Dianne Johnstone, Chris Kirkland, Danny Maccocia, Alli Marshall, Heather Marshall Lyon, Rosalind/John McNamara, Margaret Nickel, Sherrill McGilvray, Hector Pothier, Paul Rechner, Jason Riley, Finlay Ross, Lori Schmidt, Wanda Stephens, Gerry West, Jason/Elana West, Rob/Ginny/Emily Wood

“One person's punk rock is another person's singing 'Om'

or playing harp."

-- George Winston