andrewjjardine Boards, Governance, Uncategorized

Episode 23: Understanding the key elements of an effective Board with “the Board Architect”, Mark A. Pfister

Understanding how your Board can be effective begins with an assessment of your Board’s architecture. Author, consultant, and non-Executive Director Mark A. Pfister joins us to talk about what he means by the architecture of a Board and how individual Board members need to meet the demands of their roles in order to serve the organization well. This conversation touches on a number of key governance principles and best practices and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Mark A. Pfister is CEO & Chief Board Consultant of M. A. Pfister Strategy Group, an executive advisory firm that serves as a strategic advisory council for executives and Boards in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He is also Chairman & CEO of Integral Board Group, a specialized Board services and consulting company. Mr. Pfister is a ‘Board Macro-Influencer’ and his success has been repeated across a wide range of business situations and environments. He prides himself on being a coach and mentor to senior executives and directors. In Board Director circles, Mr. Pfister has earned the nickname ‘The Board Architect.’ His book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Across-Board-Architecture-Effective-Directors/dp/0692064265

andrewjjardine Boards, Governance, Uncategorized

Episode 21: The role of Boards in building Trust, with Rahul Bhardwaj, CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors

How can a Board build trust in its organization and broader community? Can a Board really monitor and even measure trust? How? Rahul Bhardwaj, CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors, sits down to discuss with us the critical role that all Boards play in rebuilding trust in their organizations. The ICD’s recently published Trust Toolkit explains that companies that are industry leaders “regularly outperform the overall trust level for their sector.” Join us to find out why trust is so important today and how having your Board pay close attention to it can help your organization and your community to thrive.

Rahul Bhardwaj is the CEO & President of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), the Chair of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI), and is a member of the Leadershpi Council at the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership at Ivey Business School. He is a frequent speaker and commentator on issues of governance and leadership and his thought-provoking insights are challenging Boards and organizations to more broadly consider the impact of their work and seek to build strong, vibrant, thriving communities.

andrewjjardine Boards, Governance, Uncategorized

Episode 20: How to PREP for a Board meeting: a conversation with Scott Baldwin, Co-Founder of DirectorPrep.com

Preparing for a Board meeting is a critical part of your work as a Director. When done well it can ensure that the Board fulfills its responsibility to provide oversight, insight, and foresight for the organization. Join us as we sit down with Scott Baldwin, Co-Founder of DirectorPrep.com, to hear from him about how to follow the PREP framework in advance of a Board meeting so that you make sure your contribution is meaningful.

Find more resources to prepare for your meeting at https://savvy.directorprep.com/

You can sign up for the DirectorPrep newsletter by clicking here.

andrewjjardine Boards, Governance

Episode 18: Taking the mystery out of culture – with Dr. Debra Brown

Can culture be managed? Measured? Improved? Is it a function of leadership? Join us as we chat with Dr. Debra Brown, President and CEO of Governance Solutions, as she shares her research findings and wealth of Board experience related to organizational culture. Her insights show that culture can not only be managed well but that it is critically important, and strategic, to regularly monitor it at the Boardroom table. Dr. Brown describes different types of culture, the broader organizational impact of developing the right culture in the Board, and the need to lead culture rather than have it lead you.

In addition to her work at Governance Solutions and on various Boards, Dr. Brown is the author and co-author of many excellent books, available here: https://www.amazon.ca/Dr-Debra-L-Brown/e/B08375DVSP/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_2 and the amazing resources and team over at www.governancesolutions.ca

andrewjjardine Boards, Governance

Episode 17: Why Term Limits are so important (and why Paul is so passionate about them)

It is widely accepted that Board members should have a term limit and in this episode Paul convinces Andrew that this topic is not only important but actually pretty exciting. Term limits offer an opportunity for Boards to develop leaders within the Board, plan out skill development, and help Board members focus on making an impact that outlasts their years of service. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat for a solid half hour and thank you for listening.

pwilton3 What we have learned

Reflection on Episode 14: The importance of understanding your Board’s governance model

After a long hiatus, we’re back! Our guest this week was Marion Thomson Howell, President of Shaugnessy Howell and Executive-in-residence at Capacity Canada. With extensive experience serving on a variety of boards, Marion shared her expertise on different board models.

Personally, this was one of my favourite episodes. Marion clearly explains each model and the benefits and risks of each. We hope this episode will prompt anyone serving on a board to think about which model currently fits their board and which board model would best serve their organization.

Marion outlines four models of boards:

Working boards are volunteer-driven community organizations with no staff.

Traditional boards have staff but there is limited role clarity around the separate roles of the board and staff.

Policy boards clearly define the role of the board and CEO as well as expectations and key processes through policy. Policies are monitored to ensure compliance with expectations.

Results-based boards are more outcomes-focused. These boards receive regular reports on progress towards board defined goals and may be less prescriptive in defining processes that must be followed to accomplish the goals.

These models make it easy for us to compare different types of boards and to make some generalizations, but it is important to remember boards may combine some characteristics of different models and that boards are constantly changing.  

Further, a board may evolve between models. For example, a working board may become a more traditional board once it develops the resources to hire staff. Factors such as board composition and environmental pressures may prompt these changes.

Boards are not always consistent. One challenge may prompt a board to take a more results-based approach, but another might prompt a board to temporarily shift to a traditional model. Different projects may require different tools.

These models can also be aspirational. A traditional board may want to improve their risk management so will work towards the policy model. I tend to see these models as a progression, with a hybrid of the policy and results-based board as the ideal.

These certainly are not the only theories of governance or board models. There are different ways to explain and predict board behaviour, but Marion has provided us with a clear foundation for board members to understand their board’s work.

andrewjjardine Boards, Governance

Episode 14: Understanding Board Governance Models with Marion Thomson Howell

If you were joining a dance group then you would want to know what kind of dance the group practices. If you were joining a football team then you would need to know the type of offence and defence the team uses. When you join a Board you need to understand its governance model. Boards have different ways of broadly looking at their role in their organization. There are many different models of Board governance and it is important to know which one your Board uses so that you can understand more clearly your role as a Director. Marion Thomson Howell, President of Shaugnessy Howell Inc., Executive-in-Residence at Capacity Canada, and Vice-Chair of the Board of St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario, sits down with us to review 4 general categories of Board governance models and what Board members need to know about the implications for each model.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Eb0OM5ZULc2bmxmQLT3HJ?si=cbvN5WrwSsmTLlBvmajPAw

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-governance-guys/id1506642067#episodeGuid=http%3A%2F%2Fthegovernanceguys.com%2F%3Fp%3D405

andrewjjardine Boards, Governance

Episode 13: How your Board can measure progress with Valerie Sluth

So you’ve sorted out your organization’s purpose, mission, vision, and values. Then you wrote a magnificent strategic plan that clearly aligns these elements and considers the challenges of your external environment. Now what? Well now you get to track your progress – a step all too often missed for many organizations and Boards. Enter Valerie Sluth, CEO and founder of Praxis Consulting, Board member on multiple Boards, and management consultant extraordinaire. Val speaks with us about the balanced scorecard and how you can properly oversee and measure the progress you are making on your strategic plan and initiatives.

andrewjjardine Boards, Governance

Episode 12: Strategy and the Board of Directors with Merv Hillier

A key document for many Boards is the Strategic Plan for their organization. But what is strategy and how should the Board engage in setting strategy and overseeing its implementation? Merv Hillier is the founder of consulting firm Nuvision. He is an educator, CEO, and Board member and he sat down with us to talk strategy. If you are wondering how involved the Board should be in both the planning and execution stages of strategy then this is the episode for you!