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July 1, 2009: Being Your Own Mirror |
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One of the hardest tasks of
nonprofit governance is self-assessment.
Both government and business entities have review and watchdog mechanisms
of some kind. However, I have never
found a squadron of “board police” and have known many boards that are so
insular or clueless, that they seemed almost impervious to community influence and
so inaccessible as to be almost unknowable.
Boards perform well and respond to community input largely because they
want to.
A few quick thoughts on the requirement
that boards know themselves. Frequently
termed a “self-assessment,” one can view this as a process of being one’s own
mirror. Think about the challenge of
doing this effectively, considering just these five questions. 1) When
holding a mirror, how do you get enough distance to see the whole subject? 2) How
can one positioning of the mirror show the board from all useful angles? 3) Can
a holding at just one point in time provide the most useful information? 4) If
something sticks out, how do you know how important it is? 5) If
you see something that appears significant, how do you know what to do about
it?
I am sorry to admit that,
even using an outsider of any sort (E.D., consultant, skilled volunteer, or
trusted previous trustee) to help hold the mirror still does not overcome the
limitations created with the most minimal and highly infrequent attempts most
boards make at self assessment. Fortunately,
perhaps most considerate boards ask and receive input, in effect gaining reflective
value, from ongoing informal communication (within the board, with staff and
with stakeholder representatives).
Thinking about how well they are doing and seeking feedback on decisions,
priorities and performance comes naturally to these boards of well governed organizations
– thank goodness!
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