Delegation ‘Power‘ The power to delegate some part of the board’s authority or functions (other than ‘the power to delegate‘*), is one of the legitimate powers enshrined in most non-profit constitutions. Not being able to delegate ‘the power to delegate’ makes sense, as ultimate responsibility must remain with the governing board. In small to medium-sized… Continue reading Delegation to volunteers – handle with care
Tag: resources
NFP Volunteer Engagement & Coordination
NFP Volunteering – Part 2 Part 1 in this series of posts on NFP Volunteering argued that succession planning in most non-profit organisations cannot be separated from volunteer training, development, and support. Given non-profits’ heavy reliance on their volunteer workforce it is important that they take care to coordinate their volunteer efforts and optimise their… Continue reading NFP Volunteer Engagement & Coordination
Change resistance and response
Context In my previous post, issues encountered by various of my non-profit clients were identified as catalysts for application of an empathy mapping response, in order to gain greater insight into the underlying causes of resistance to change initiatives. The issues and circumstances were summarised as follows: – a CEO dealing with resistance to cultural… Continue reading Change resistance and response
Empathy and Mindfulness in leadership (and life)
Empathy is one of the featured qualities of effective leaders in much of the leadership literature. Henry Mintzberg lists the collaborative mindset, requiring empathy and insight into a network of relationships, as one of The Five Minds of a Manager. Managing self: the reflective mind-set Managing organizations: the analytic mind-set Managing context: the worldly mind-set… Continue reading Empathy and Mindfulness in leadership (and life)
Efficient ‘time governance’
“It’s not that we have little time, but more that we waste a good deal of it.” (Seneca) Good governance is often described as being a balance between efficiency and effectiveness in setting strategy, overseeing operations, and monitoring performance and conformance. As meetings are the chief means by which the board formally addresses its duties,… Continue reading Efficient ‘time governance’
The shared purpose mirror: Ideal decision and execution triangles
It has been widely recognised that good governance decisions involve identification of the ‘sweet spot’ where cost, risk, and benefit trade-offs can be achieved. A ‘mirror’ set of balancing factors is involved however when management is charged with implementation of those decisions – as illustrated above. Best practice strategy execution requires management to identify the… Continue reading The shared purpose mirror: Ideal decision and execution triangles
Proof, clarity and compliance
I recall apologising to a senior politician once for troubling him to pose for a photo with my office bearers. His reply was disarmingly direct – “If there’s no photo, it didn’t happen”. A similar message was offered in the newly published Joint Statement on board minutes from the AICD and the Governance Institute. My… Continue reading Proof, clarity and compliance
Purpose + Principles = Policies and Procedures
Not-for-profit directors generally understand that part of their governance role involves setting policies to guide the actions of office bearers, staff, and volunteers. However, not all of them have understood the importance of capturing the principles underpinning the policy in question. For the purposes of this article, the policies we are considering are ‘governance policies‘… Continue reading Purpose + Principles = Policies and Procedures
Habit Chicken or Belief Egg? Which comes first in PD?
Anyone who has stood in front of a class or training room and sought to help ‘students’ to develop their knowledge, skills, and/or attitudes, recognises that ‘deep’ learning only happens when the student makes sense of the new content or skill by extension of their existing framework of knowledge and skill. We all need ‘hooks’… Continue reading Habit Chicken or Belief Egg? Which comes first in PD?
Avoiding ‘organisational Alzheimer’s’
With office bearers changing quite regularly in most not-for-profit organisations, there is a risk of corporate memory loss – and metaphorically suffering ‘neurodegenerative issues’. Consequently, the maintenance and use of key governance document registers is an essential measure. To that end, it is helpful to review which documents qualify for inclusion in these registers. The… Continue reading Avoiding ‘organisational Alzheimer’s’