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July 1, 2008: Disaster Recovery |
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Deterioration of your board leadership can result in a
disaster to an organization that is as damaging to sustainability as a computer
security breach or even physical flooding of a key office space. However,
the prescription is the same for all catastrophes: take the extra time
NOW to restore board capacity, your mission steering mechanism and very
survival as an organization is at risk!
Does this mean a special meeting of a board to refill its ranks and install
people in key positions? YES. Does this mean that you shouldn't
wait until the next scheduled meeting, because it is summertime......YES.
Is this a higher priority than our staff getting out a newsletter, updating the
website, keeping service/office hours open (OK, not if you are running a
hospital emergency room)?. YES. Should staff try to keep the bad news from the board? NO.
If the steering mechanism of your mission "boat" (organization) is broken, then it will surely run off course,
either out into open ocean exhausting scarce resources or into: an obstacle,
another "ship", some rocks or a shoreline. "ALL
HANDS ON DECK!!!!" It is time to do that emergency research (that
board/staff homework that has been put off for years) to determine:
- who should be on your board dream team;
- what advice/referrals can these dream team community opinion leaders (sorry
but they may NOT be willing to personally jump on your board at this time!);
- whom can you recruit in good faith now to help steer your boat; and
- who is left (on the board) that will lead key decisions, rebuild the team or
preside over the shut-down of operating systems?
That's it. Only fixing the broken board can fix your broken organization
and postpone (or prevent) further disasters. Is your organization’s mission
and niche worth preserving? Then it must be done, or the disaster
continues…..
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