CASE NOTES

Laying the Groundwork for Success in 2012 Leadership 401

Case One: Behind the Eight Ball

Issues
The President has taken over President has a personal agenda Took over in the absence of a succession plan Lack of discussion with staff President-Elect busy and not stepping up Lack of dialogue between the President and the PresidentElect Board didn't provide direction to the President to take over as he has President appears to be enjoying the new role The Board was unprepared Problems accelerated by board not making quick decisions Some issues not taken care of (left the board in the lurch) Board does not appear to be aware of preliminary discussions with neighbouring board Unclear role of President-Elect in crisis situation Unclear role of Past President in crisis situation Unclear roles (expectations) of Directors Not focused on the strategic plan No attention to the importance of succession and contingency planning

Loss of Executive Officer (EO) and need to hire new EO Not accessing the staff to assist in the interim (lack of cross training) Casual approach to dealing with EO loss No contingency or succession plan in place No sense of urgency No dialogue about what is needed in a new EO - do we need another Jack or something else?

Member concerns and confusion Hearsay and gossip i.e. locker room email Lack of communication to members about the situation AGM coming up in a few weeks

January 18, 2011

Case One: Behind the Eight Ball

Solutions
Call an emergency meeting Agenda to include: - What to do - How to do it - Upcoming AGM - Process to hire new EO Develop a 'repair plan' to address member and staff concerns and confusion The President needs to step aside to remove current conflict of interest In times of crisis, the importance of good governance is highlighted Develop a communication plan to members and other stakeholders Work from a plan - don't jump the gun Use a phased-in approach Communicate something quickly to address gossip and misperceptions Express the sentiment, We are continuing on with the business of the association

Seek External Assistance as required to initiate an EO search process Legal Recruiting OREA

Develop a contingency plan and a succession plan Contingency Plan Contingency details (keys, passwords, codes, banking info) Do you have what you need to know to function smoothly without the EO? (business of the day) Succession Plan Needs to be very carefully developed and be kept current

January 18, 2011

Case Two: There Has to be a Better Way Issues

The Board is not governing effectively a) Board appears to have no appreciation of good governance Meetings unorganized not following agendas Lack of strategic planning focusing on operations Doing committee work at the Board table Old boys club resisting change b) Actions of some board members contribute to poor governance Absenteeism leaving meetings early Too many meetings Checking messages at meetings not focused on business at hand Parking Lot meetings (meeting after the meeting) c) President appears to be a weak leader No control over Board meetings Meetings with no resolution (non-productive) President-Elect is not stepping up Frustrated and determined Lack of President-Elect development No partnering with President No passing of wisdom Does not appear to have spoken to President about her concerns The Executive Officer is operating unilaterally on some issues Ineffective governance aggregates the EOs time commitments EO is circumventing the Board and acting on some matters without approval of the Board Frustrated and hints at risk of accepting a job change potential loss of EO

Member Perceptions are damaging Lack of communication Perception that the Board is not functioning effectively Reluctance for new people to join due to perceived weak governance How are members learning what's happening at the Board table?

January 18, 2011

Case Two: There Has to be a Better Way Solutions

Strengthen framework for effective governance Review responsibilities of the Chair Review training materials and good governance resources Update / create governance policies as appropriate Take a look at streamlining committees Divide and conquer old boys club (e.g. one-on-one meetings) Keep senior staff person performing effectively Ensure quorum (scheduling, timing, remote participation) Orient new Board members on effective governance, strategic planning Ensure ample materials distributed in advance of meetings to aid in good decision making Plan for ample time in meetings to have good discussion about important issues When dealing with contentious issues, stop and talk about the criteria which will be used to address the issue / make the decision Share background information on why decisions were made (context) for newer Directors Institute attendance threshold Reconsider using Directors for committees Communicate...communicate...communicate... Sit down with EO - discuss problems and find solutions Damage control - communicate good work of the association Outreach to get people involved to stimulate new approaches Don't be shy as leaders to call out the 'elephant in the room'

Start somewhere - anywhere Communicate positive messaging Get team work going with the President, President-Elect and EO - don't work to assumptions, dialogue instead Use next meeting to express issues at the Board Use CRA compliance guidance for Not-For-Profit Status agenda item at the next meeting to recommend or implement better decision-making

Work carefully within the culture of the existing Board Tread carefully to recognize current culture and patterns Quietly try to break apart systemic problems Develop a plan for gradual strengthening Seek objective third party assistance as appropriate

January 18, 2011