The Governance Group - Meeting and Retreat Facilitation

The following resources are available from the Governance Group. For more information or to order copies for your organization please contact us.

This kit contains all of the publications noted below as well as an orientation program outline designed to truly expose your board to what they can expect as they embark on this new experience with your board.

The purpose of The Governance Board Game™ is to (a) help you and other members of your board learn about Leadership Focused Governance - The Partnership Model©; (b) about the roles and responsibilities of the board and the Chief Staff officer using this approach to governing; (c) how board members often hold differing views about the role of the board and the role of the Executive Director; (d) about how what you deal with in a board meeting using this approach is quite different from what you would be dealing with in a "traditional approach" to governing; and (e) have some fun while getting to know other board members.

It is a fun way to learn about the basic principles of Leadership Focused Governance in an orientation session to your new board or as a refresher for existing board members.

This booklet outlines the types of Chief Staff Officer performance evaluations that can be conducted by a board; the process and steps for evaluating the Chief Staff Officer's performance; and, includes the tools for conducting the actual evaluation.

The tools included in this section are intended primarily for use as a way of examining effectiveness in several areas of Board performance. They are not evaluation instruments, as they do not seek to measure performance against previously established criteria or standards.

The tools are:

ASSESSING OUR MEETING: This tool can be used at the end of each meeting as a vehicle for discussing perceptions of the meeting's effectiveness.

ASSESSING BOARD DYNAMICS: The Board can use this tool on one or more occasions throughout the year to examine and discuss how well the group is working together.

ASSESSING INDIVIDUAL MEMBER PERFORMANCE: The purpose of this tool is to enable individual Board members to assess their own performance and effectiveness and to identify areas where they may want to make some changes.

ASSESSING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH STAKEHOLDERS: The objective of this tool is to help Board identify what it is or is not doing with respect to its relationship with stakeholders.

ASSESSING OUR ACTION AND DECISION MAKING PRACTICES: This tool will help the Board examine its practices with respect to decision making. It should be completed once or twice a year.

The overall purpose of the assessment tools is to help a board or Board identify those strategies and practices that are serving as obstacles, barriers and/or contributors to effective performance. This enables the Board to build on what it perceives as its strengths or best practices and to target for change those that are impediments to its effectiveness.

Assessment instruments are tools for providing individual and collective feedback about what we perceive the group to be doing. They are most valuable as guides for discussing desired outcomes and the most effective practices required for achieving them.

This booklet examines why it is necessary for a board to assess and evaluate its performance; discusses the difference between assessment and evaluation; identifies the many dimensions of performance that a board should be evaluating; and, provides examples of the types of questions that can be used in conducting the assessment or evaluation.

The role and work of the Chair of a board is more complex and important than we impart to incoming Chairpersons. This book identifies the many roles and responsibilities of the Chairperson; provides guidance and direction in how to carry out them out; and, gives the Chairperson some of the tools that she/he will need to do the job.

This booklet identifies and describes the 23 elements of the governance infrastructure that boards need to have in place if they are to function efficiently and effectively. It includes such things as Mission and Vision, policies, strategic plan and board evaluation processes.

This booklet sets out the framework for Leadership Focused Governance, provides a step-by-step process for transitioning your board to the model, and the tools you will need to have to make it work for your board. This booklet will be helpful to boards that want to become a 'governance board'.

This booklet is for boards and Executive Directors of 'governance boards'. It focuses on the relationship of the Executive Director with the board as well as providing a comprehensive example of the 'terms of reference' for this position. It answers many of the questions directors have about the role of and their relationship with the Executive Director.

This booklet contains a series of templates that are easy to use steps for developing the mission, vision, strategic plan, board work plan and board agendas. They take the hassle and complexity out of the task and enable that board to accomplish these important tasks without incurring any expense.

This binder is chock full of useful tools and resources to help the board with its governing role. It includes Terms of Reference for officers, committees, Chief Staff Officer; templates for developing mission, vision, strategic plan; evaluation processes and tools; policy development tools; tools and tips for improving meetings; agenda building and screening tools; a guide for developing the Board - Chief Staff Officer partnership; and, a guide on succession planning.