Klass Strategies - July 1, 2009: Being Your Own Mirror

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July 1, 2009: Being Your Own Mirror

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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3.22 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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