Great Governing

Another quick take...

2012-01-30T15:51:00.000-07:00

Sunrise kudos for Bayfield boardWORK!

Here's a quick one.....

2012-01-30T09:14:00.001-07:00

Posted by a Facebook friend of mine this morning...

"If you want things to be different, you need to do different things."

Are you getting bogged down in the minutia? How are you and your board doing with the wildly important? Just asking...

Reasonableness amid growing concerns...

2012-01-25T16:28:00.000-07:00

[Front page photo from the December 18 Pueblo Chieftain, used in a reality leadership segment with new board members at CASB's annual "learning summit."]

As awareness and anxiety builds about living with Colorado's long-term funding challenges with all things public (schools, roads, universities, libraries...), it was a pleasure to catch the wisdom, maturity, values, and clarity of Eagle board leaders, this week.

Closing paragraph of their letter to constituents:

Please be assured that in our schools, our focus is on student achievement every day. Our district is fortunate to have highly qualified administrators, teachers and staff who are dedicated to the success of the students in their schools. The board is dedicated to doing what's best for kids, and the communities in which they live.

In its entirety:

At the Jan. 11 meeting, the Eagle County Board of Education decided to support keeping all of the elementary schools in the district open at this time.
This decision was made after reviewing the financial impact to the district and weighing that against the pros and cons to the students, staff, parents and community members.
There was a great deal of public input regarding the closing of schools, as we anticipated, but it was not the deciding factor in keeping the schools open.
When a building is closed, we do not lose the staff as they are simply reallocated to the schools where students attend. What we do lose is the culture of a building that a team of teachers and administrators have collectively created, as well as time and momentum, which both impact student achievement.
Red Sandstone Elementary and Avon Elementary are both being recognized at the state level for academic excellence, and we want to keep this success going.
The cost savings of closing any given elementary school is around $500,000, reflected primarily in utilities, small school allocation, upkeep of the building and maybe one or two staff members.
The board would like the community to understand that when children are moved from one school into another, a majority of the staff will transfer to the new location in order to accommodate the influx of students.
The principal at the receiving school will get the staff that comes with the increased number of students so there would be minimal staff savings in the one or two positions, but not enough to justify closing a school.
If the $500,000 from closing a school was put back into the district's operational budget, it would only result in a 0.4 staff allocation for each school in the district.
In addition, closing a school would have resulted in boundary changes for all of the upvalley schools, which disrupts the focus on achievement for all students.
As a result of the board deciding to keep schools open, there will most certainly have to be cuts made in other areas of the district.

In addition to hearing the community's concerns, the board has listened to the thoughts and opinions of the Eagle County Education Association, Budget Committee, Employee Benefits Trust Committee and many other key groups to try and look at other areas where cuts could be made while keeping as many jobs as possible intact.
The board is working diligently to maintain small class sizes (especially for the lower elementary school grades), retain high-quality teachers and keep cuts away from kids as much as possible.
Recent media coverage of our school district has had an unavoidable negative tone because of the impact of the unprecedented state budget cuts.
Please be assured that in our schools, our focus is on student achievement every day. Our district is fortunate to have highly qualified administrators, teachers and staff who are dedicated to the success of the students in their schools. The board is dedicated to doing what's best for kids, and the communities in which they live.

If you had to choose...

2012-01-23T10:52:00.002-07:00

Late one night this past weekend, at the annual CASB board of directors retreat, several board members and staffers were engaged in lively game of "Would you rather...!?" The game is based on two actions: A player secretly chooses one of two options in response to the question, then, it's up to the rest of the group to reach consensus/unity about which of the options they think was chosen.

Example: "Would you rather...on a scorching hot day, have a popsicle OR ice cream?"

It occurred to many of us that a board of education version of this game might be of benefit in developing great governing, making tough budgeting decisions, and sustaining quality in an era of fading resources. The big enrichments: Exploring each part of the question and discovering insights for your team's continuous improvement.

So, without further ado, with new contributions coming in even this morning, here is the "beta version," good for your solo or team learning over coffee, during road trips, while personally reflecting, and to kick off work sessions:

Would your governing team rather...

be known for a core value of honesty OR learning?
be filled with veterans OR new board members?
pass insurance cost increases to employees OR reduce plan benefits?
support and develop your one employee with discipline OR ease?
be known as deliberative OR responsive?
have outdated policies OR wildly-important policies rarely used?
gain wisdom from a few OR many?
have reduced unfunded state mandates OR fully funded special education?
be challenged by constituents well aware of the state’s long-term funding issues OR satisfied with the "status quo" of long-term trends?
increase class size OR reduce the number of electives
be safe and maintain a current practice with average outcomes OR take a risk to have an outstanding outcome.
have student achievement that's "high growth, low knowledge" OR "low growth, high knowledge"
have a boardroom filled with folks concerned about cutting athletic coaches OR cutting instructional coaches
receive recognition for growing in effectiveness as a governing team OR an award for being great at governing?
be constantly expressing the core value of respect OR effectiveness?
be fuzzy about the Sunshine Law OR be lax with confidentiality about executive session conversations
eliminate fine arts (music, art, drama) content facilitators or gifted/talented facilitators?
cut buses OR athletics/activities?
seek resource-sharing partnerships with other districts OR stay in the known, go with what you have?
be policy driven OR issues driven?
have your district excel with the school business model OR the profit-making business model?
have a few, wildly-important goals OR many, covering-all-the-bases goals?
be a board actively discussing policy-level work OR reviewing administrative-level impact?
and on and on...

Timeless effectiveness.....

2012-01-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

"But when trust is low, communication is exhausting, time-consuming, ineffective, and inordinately difficult."

Author Stephen Covey is a master and I appreciate him authorizing and supporting his book for use on an e-reader. Some haven't made that step yet, but I have hope. But that's not the point of this post.....

The point is, there is some work a board can do that is timeless. Investing your time in understanding your board norms, policies, and procedures is some of that work. I guarantee it will save you time and will benefit your board and communities for years to come.

Don't be exhausted or exhausting. Spend the time and while you're at it....one way or another, read the masters.

Maturity, mentoring & mayhem...

2012-01-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

A great time was had by all at the BigConvening's EdCafe on "What I've Learned About Great Governing," a rolling conversation using video and visual triggers from the above PowerPoint (to view, go here). Tough to beat: Veterans mentoring new members and new members bringing fresh insights and questions to the veterans.

While this FlipSnack version doesn't show the videos, here are some of the conversational keys:

Maturity and mentoring - crucial for good-to-great governing
Mr. Mayhem (from the All State Insurance commercials) - the opposite of excellence
We expect all the leaders action in our schools to good-to-great...we hope all these actions of ING are providing excellence...
What is our unique ING...governING
What quality of governing will be our legacy? How would you describe it?
While the BIG responsibility for candidate development is with the local team (modeling, mentoring, guiding...), the CASB network has a wealth of stories, supports and tips throughout the season. Stay tuned!
Let's talk about what it takes to mature actions common to great governing teams...
Knowing, trusting, respecting
Supporting, developing, healthily challenging
Chosing wisely, maturely, together
Staying framed and focused on the wildly important through policy leadership
Leading the learning
We concluded with a wide ranging discussion around Peter Lencioni's "Five Dysfunctions of Teams"

The Wheels on the Board Turn Round....

2012-01-13T06:30:00.000-07:00

My arms were about to be shaken off, so I take my old VW Bug into a little tire shop and ask to have my front tires balanced. No problem...until I find out the wheels are too bent. Well, you can't effectively balance a tire if the wheel is bent. I tell the guy that a school board can't effectively do its work if their policies are bent. Pause.

Anyway, there are a couple of old wheels in the back of the shop that will fit. They're not perfect but they should work better than the ones I have. So then I tell the guy that an upgraded board policy is usually better than a completely bent one. Pause. Blink. Yep, let's switch out the wheels so everything will be "relatively" round. I'll at least get up to good, but maybe not great.

The wheels get switched, the tires are balanced and then a realization....my old hubcaps won't fit on the "new" wheels. Sigh. I tell the guy that the board just updated that bent policy and now there are unintended consequences. Pause. Blink. Cocked head. "Well, we really didn't mean for THAT to happen." So, I'll just go look for some of the clip-on hubcaps somewhere and I'll be good....oh, I guess not because most of the clips on the "new" wheels have been broken off so no hubcap will fit.

Fine, I like to look on the bright side. I now have two "extra" hubcaps for my rear wheels. The car does drives better than before. And, it was already kind of ugly-ish so a bit more ugly is not really that noticeable.

With board policies, you can't just look on the bright side and hope nobody will notice the ugly. Since policies drive your work, it's worth it to invest the time and thought to make them the best they can be to keep your board running straight and true. Look at your policies from different perspectives to avoid those unintended consequences. And if you have to go back to that policy again, then do it. They're not written in stone and you don't have to worry about the hubcaps.

Boarding Archuleta-Hinsdale style...

2012-01-12T07:34:00.000-07:00

What a privilege observing the policy-driven, strategically-focused Archuleta-Hinsdale board, this week. Wildly important time was spend on measuring achievement progress, engaging constituents, experiencing student excellence, and, yes, being celebrated as part of board recognition month.

Elementary students created and presented special mugs and affirmations for each member of the governing team, (recently honored as a Board of Distinction in CASB's 2011 All-State Board process):

Dolphin/Joanne – The dolphin represents charity, kindness and affection toward children. We thank you for being a ‘champion’ in supporting our children. You live as a model of generosity.”
Dragon/Pete – “The dragon is a guardian and guide. He represents strength and fortitude. We so appreciate your guidance and feel secure in being under your guardianship.”
Crab/Linda – “The symbol of the crab represents prosperity and success. The crab inspires trust and offers protections. We place our trust in you and feel protected under your leadership.”
Tortoise/Ken – “The tortoise represents steadfast effort with ultimate success. We know that you will never give up searching for ways to ensure our students have the most opportunities for success. We can count on you.”
Dog/Greg – “The dog represents loyalty, honor and companionship. The dog will fight for injustice. We have great trust that you fight to ensure our students’ and staffs’ rights. The education of our students is protected by your efforts and loyalty to Archuleta School District.”

More evening glimpses of Archuleta-Hinsdale excellence...

Powerful actions Denver style...

2012-01-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Denver board president Mary Seawell shared some great practical, functional and strategic wisdom, yesterday, in a guest commentary in the Denver Post.

Nuggets and highlights:

emphasis on policy leadership
"everyone worked on and shaped the new policy"
embedded values of clarity, transparency, effectiveness, diversity, and teamWORK
strategic function defined: "The Board of Education is the body elected by the voters...to govern the school district. It is our duty to meet with community members and stakeholders to make sure our decisions reflect the values and needs of our constituents."
powerful closure: "Our board is often referred to as a 4-3 board, but we are one body with one joint purpose: to help the students of Denver Public Schools. All seven of us take that shared duty very seriously."

One body.

One purpose.

Shared duty.

Seriously.

For the complete article, go here.

This WORKbook supports.....

2012-01-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

"This workbook SUPPORTS highly effective boards of education committed to sustaining a PURPOSEful, STRONGly FOCUSed, UNIFIED governing EFFORT."

I'm loving the new CASB Leadership Workbook. Are you? That first page really lays it out. It's a page-turner indeed. Have you been working the workbook? Most of you have new teams and I'm wondering how you are coming along. As a team, have you:

scheduled some "coming together" meetings or retreats?
reviewed your policy book?
discussed and set some norms?
discussed relationships?

Do you know the core values of your fellow members? Have you talked about engaging your communities? If you are a veteran, how are you helping out the new members? If you are new to board work, do you have a mentor?

Yeah, there are lots of questions. And it seems as soon as you answer one, another creeps up. Well, get working on that workbook and check out the exercises in the back. I suggest picking #5 on core values first. Page 99.

This early time as a new team is critical. Get together and get to work....learn about each other so you can move forward as a unified governing team.

BookClub – Tribal Leadership...

2012-01-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

Just starting this one.

"Birds flock, fish school, people 'tribe.'"

I'm hooked.

"Tribes are the basic building block of any large human effort."

Reading on...

On the crucial "ME" in TEAM...

2012-01-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

There's a humbling when you're around legacy leaders, especially those of a volunteer kind. Within the CASB network, legacy leadership is honored with McGuffey Awards. These peer affirmations happen around the state, each a potential model, each a mentoring moment, each a celebration of maturity.

Here's one that's been influencing me:

“Mr. Smith” [a little anonymity to protect the humble] is an outstanding board president who values a quality education for all students. Whatever it takes to lead “A School of Quality,” Mr. Smith supports. He expects a championship effort from all people, especially himself. Mr. Smith works at developing trusting relationships among other board members, staff and patrons in the community. He is respected by others because of his integrity, honesty and willingness to make difficult decisions. Mr. Smith is a model board member who is always prepared on all issues that are being addressed. He has a unique way of involving others and making them a part of the solution. Student achievement is top priority in the school district, and one of the driving factors behind the improvement in the district’s student achievement is the support of the board.

Sooo...

What legacy are you intent on leaving?
What words do you hope your peers will say at your McGuffy moment?
What legacy is your governing team determined to leave?
Specifically, what are your next learning/improvement steps to advance your legacy?

Into the new...

2012-01-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

"Shift happens."

"It's time for 21st Century education."

"New era boardWORK."

"The future ain't what it used to be."

"Tough times, tough challenges."

"This is verrrrry serious business."

When you have a spare 12 minutes, join education guru Sir Ken Robinson in a great learning experience titled "Changing Education Paradigms," here. Great wisdom, great visual learning.

Big encouragement: Have a followup conversation with your mentor or governing team. How shall your governing team lead in the new era? How will your governing team stick to the wildly important? How will you build new trust and understanding about the new priorities? How will the team provide excellence in your unique role of governing?

Friday night menu...

2011-12-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday appreciation for last night's memorable conversation in a busy Walsenburg restaurant!

The menu: Two veterans, five (count 'em) new members, and "the one employee" sharing insights, hopes and ideas for becoming and sustaining a good-to-great BOARD of EDUCATION.

The Huerfano governing team found strong consensus around...

being a model of excellence for the sake of the kids
leading through policy,
building trust and understanding (internally and externally)
focusing on the wildly important
building and resourcing excellence in the learning system

Lasting memories: Richness as team members caught the momentum of sharing, peer to peer; constant expressions of honor, listening and learning; insights gained in a "three whys" exercise around the question, "Why do we so shortchange boards of education in social studies classes?"

On the checkered table: CASB's Leadership WORKbook, 20-page toolkit for workshop teams, QuickTake briefing from the last improvement step, great governing one-pager from the CASB convention, iPad for quick viewing of blog insights, and "big-blank" white cards for brainstorming and appraising.

On essential readings...

2011-12-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

The question seems embedded in each day of the new-team season.

"What would you recommend we read?"

So in priority order...

Numero uno, and soooooo number one, nothing is close: Your board policies on your unique work of governing. Read once. Twice. Meet with your mentor to emmerse yourself in the story of the policies lived out. Read through again. Take note of where you are solidly in agreement and where you might like changes. Affirm and refresh as an entire team. This is the base for all your leadership. [By the by: If you discover opportunities, holes, gaps, or that famous last revision in 1954, just call your CASB policy team!]

2. CASB's Leadership WORKbook. Emphasis on the sweat equity of WORK. Read and highlight. Meet with your mentor. Make this your wildly important priority for your individual development. Meet as team. Share insights. Use at least one of the tools. Engage the questions in the margins. Call the CASB phone number and start a workbook conversation with a works-for-you staff member. Wear out this essential!

3. Good to Great for the Social Sector, by Jim Collins. When this first came out, we had book studies going all over the state. Still fresh. Still a prompter of great governing.

4. Michael Smoker's Results Now. If your board doesn't invest in learning communities or build a learning culture, well, get ready. And you're governing team may just lead the way.

5. Leadership is an Art, the classic by Max Depree. Excellent for all aspects of leadership, maybe especially for those owning the role of "facilitating president."

6. Unstuck, A Tool for Yourself, Your Team, Your World by Keith Yamshita and Sandra Spataro. Title says it all. Full of ideas, visuals, tips and wisdom about improvING, learnING, movING, and changING. Get goING.

7. What School Boards Can Do, Don McAdams

8. Boards That Make A Difference, John Carver

Beyond a list heavy on books: Recommendations are just ahead for essential reports/documents (like your financial audit and Unified Improvement Plan), research/studies (Colorado's long-term financial mess that no one seems to understand), blogs, and articles (like First Kill All School Boards). For a quick look at essential habits and standards of great governing, click on the page tab marked "Mature work" at top of this page or go here.

Roaring Fork revving up...

2011-12-15T10:20:00.002-07:00

Enjoyed the privilege of a "coffee conversation without the coffee" with the new Roaring Fork governing team, last night.

A month into the maturing journey of citizens-together work, the reconstituted team is already diligently moving toward having a clear and strong framework of excellence. Next step: A Friday workshop to develop shared vision, purpose, wildly important goals, norms and core values.

Clues about Roaring Fork's pacesetting learning effort fill the district offices...

Art featuring a classic glimpse of the power of fully aligned leadership...

Learning communities embedded throughout the system...

A wisdom quote on the core value of togetherness/unity/we...

Everywhere you turn in the district office, the people (younger and older) making excellence happen are featured...

Citizen leaders learning at the BigConvening...

2011-12-13T09:26:00.001-07:00

Among the many glimpses: New members practicing financial decision making, toooooogether.

A legendary board member's lanyard declaring some of the most frequent core values LIVED by highly effective governing teams throughout the state.

A photo of parents from a morning paper, last week, mirroring mounting concerns of teachers, parents and community leaders as awareness increases about the consequences of Colorado's long-term funding issues.

Mayhem from the All State Insurance commercials illustrating the opposite of great leadership values and actions.

Cindy Croisant and Craig Emmert of Mapleton's All-State governing team share insights about community bonding and building.

Challenge areas from a conversation on building great governing. Trust. Maximizing differences and diversity. Commitments. Accountability. Performance focus.

Multiple learning tools!

More teamWORK.

An informal agenda from the presidents early-bird coffee.

One of the tag sheets from the veterans' "What I've Learned" session.

Practicing the art of blending/levering perspectives and hopes.

Into the new!

What?.....So What?....Now What?..

2011-12-08T05:30:00.000-07:00

Yay! Wooooo! Congratulations! Bang the cymbals! You, (insert name here), have just given birth to a brand new, bright eyed, bushy tailed, electrified school board and I couldn't be happier for you. You've all worked hard to get to where you are. You have the support of your communities. You're eager to start.

So What? Well, this is a team effort. On your own, you're Clark Kent.....but, as a high functioning team, your board is Super Man, cape and all. Your board flies at the forty thousand foot level, overseeing, guiding, monitoring, inspiring, connecting, partnering...leading. Your trusty sidekick superintendent is a constant by your side, working for you and with you, bringing life to your goals and priorities. You are quite a team. On the ground are staff, parents, students, community members, businesses, cities, counties, CASB....all there to help your district become great. All looking to you for your guidance.

Now what? How do you get this done? It's HUGE! Well, you take a breath, and listen. To build relationships, you must listen. To build partnerships, you must listen. To build community trust, you must listen. You'll know when it's time to speak. You'll know when it's time to act. But first, build your team by learning to listen to them, finding out who they are, what they do, how they think, what they do for fun. Let them learn about you. Your team must function well in order for it to do good work. Work on your work.

Your first assignment from me....have some fun with your team this week. You'll be glad you did. Your second assignment......read this blog regularly. There is no other e-warehouse hosting the best of Colorado school boards' insights, work, and learnings. See what others are doing and how they got there. You will be inspired.

Now get out there and enjoy yourself, learn lots, and don't forget to bang your district's cymbals every now and again.

Civility and great governing...

2011-12-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Simple, powerful, embedded in great governing: Choosing civility.

"We have grown so course in how we interact with each other," so we decided to do something about it, said presenter Tom Changnon at the annual gathering of the Association of Educational Service Agencies.

"Me, me, me" thinking and bullying behaviors are learned behaviors and can be changed, he said. Board life? Amid all the anxiety and frustration with funding decisions, he said, "I often find myself thinking, 'Please show respect, please show respect.'"

Core principles in the effort [interestingly aligned to habits and values of great governing teams]:

Listen
Respect others' opinions
Respect other people's time
Don't shift responsibility and blame
Accept and give praise
Acknoledge others
Speak kindly
Apologize sincerely
Refrain from idle complaints
Think the Best
Accept and give constructive criticism
Don't speak ill

Among his reasons to choose civility:

Core value of a well functioning community [board, team, group, culture...]
Quality of life depends in great part on how community members treat one another
Civil dialogue is critical to good decision making

The "Choosing Civility" Initiative is a major school-community collaborative of the Stanislaus County Office of Education, Modesto, CA. For details, go here. The effort is based on the work of P.M. Forni, author of Choosing Civility: The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct.

The BIG Convening?.....It's Partnerific!

2011-12-05T12:30:00.001-07:00

Some things just go together....milk and cocoa (yeah, I drank some before taking that picture), peanut butter and jelly, kids and dirt. Those are easy matches. You really don't have to think about them much. They just happen, and they're good and fun. The more difficult partnerships to make happen are the ones you have to work at. I have to work hard at partnering foods and herbs since I'm not a great cook. But those aren't the kind of partnerships you'll be delving into at the BIG Convening this week.

I even made up a word for the Convening this year...."Partnerific".
Okay, so some of you may remember I made up a word last year as well...."convenenergy"....it didn't go far apparently. Not to be deterred, "Partnerific" came to mind when I was making my hot cocoa today. The power of partnerships is everywhere and it's something school boards of today cannot do without.

Much of what you have, someone else could use. Others have what could be made better with your addition. Within your district, locally, regionally...internationally, opportunities exist and it's worth your while to open your eyes and thoughts to them. This BIG Convening can help your board open yourselves to the vast array of people, places and entities you can partner with. You will be amazed.

I can see it now....you and your fellow board members will be walking down a hallway engaged in conversation, head to head, energized by what you just heard and learned....one of you will stop suddenly and with a wry grin will say "This is better than peanut butter and jelly! This is "Partnerific!"

Next steps, Valley RE-1 style...

2011-12-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Veterans, new members and retired board members gathered, last week, to share insights and hopes about effective governing in Valley RE-1 (Sterling).

The Journal-Advocate reported some great wisdom from facilitator John Gotto, a legendary and now retired superintendent from the northeast corner:

"He told the new board members to "go slowly; feel your way; you are a novice, whatever your previous experience may be; and above all remember that the ship left port long before you jumped on board. Inexperience and rough handling will only hurt the precious cargo.
"'You guys are a team, you have to respond and you have act as a team. None of you have any individual powers.'
"Additionally Gotto talked about the characteristics of an effective school board, actively leading through a clear mission and purpose, having a clear definition of the board's specific roles and responsibilities, and valuing and honoring the roles and responsibilities of all other partners in education, for example.
"Characteristics of a struggling board include showing little or no understanding of the distinctive and critical role of local school boards, trespassing on the roles and responsibilities of others, and frequently exhibiting personal agendas that are disguised under the headings "my student," "my friends" or "my past," for example.

Gotto shared the "The Ten Commandments for an Enthusiastic Board:"

Help each other be right, rather than wrong
Look for ways to make new ideas work, rather than for reasons they won't;
If in doubt check it out, rather than making negative assumptions;
Help each other win and take pride in each other's victories;
Speak positively about each other, about your board, and your schools at every opportunity;
Maintain a positive mental attitude no matter what the circumstances;
Act with initiative and courage as if all depends on you;
Do everything with enthusiasm -- it's contagious;
Believe in what you are doing; never give up;
Have fun.

For the full article, go here.

2011-12-02T09:28:00.001-07:00

Several times, yesterday, I found myself stopping and pondering the theme of the AESA annual conference in Colorado Springs.

Rethink. Redesign. Recreate.

Everywhere I turned amid this gathering of leaders in the Association of Educational Service Agencies, there was something rich about cooperation, conviction, synergistic leadership, peer learning, new realities, effective change processes, and shared resourcing. The shift into the new era of learning and leadership is happening.

How are you and your governing team doing with "Re..." work?

It just keeps going & going...

2011-12-01T08:55:00.002-07:00

It's always fun catching the resonations of a powerful, memorable story rippling into the future.

Since the BigConvening two years ago in Colorado Springs, "Nice bike!" has been in countless conversations and connections, including an email, yesterday. To catch or re-catch Mark Scharnebroich rich story (at another learning event), go here. Enjoy. Then talk with peers and constituents about the need we all have to belong and be valued. What actions need to happen to improve?

[This year's BigConvening is next week. For more info, go here.]

Top five elements of board development...

2011-11-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

Just the other day, a new president I've known for several years, asked me to email my "top five" elements of board development. My quick, could-change-today response:

Learning, applying and appraising the core habit of leading through policy
Board as a learning community – peer to peer, solo/individually and as a team
Regular appraising of board performance, by members and stakeholders
Regular improvement work as a whole team
ModelING modelING, modelING the values and maturity of excellence

What are the crucial elements of your team's continuous improvement? What elements are crucial to your personal improvement?

Phone support & South Conejos work...

2011-11-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

What a privilege to join, by phone, the continuous improvement conversation at last night's South Conejos board meeting.

The new governing team has already advanced its policy leadership by seeking an audit by CASB's crack policy team. Systems leadership is connected to CADI and TDIP assessments and supports (acronym alert: Colorado Appraisal for District Improvement and Targeted District Improvement Partnership). Team leadership is evolving through getting-to-know-each-other conversations, all-team commitments to learn at the upcoming "Big Convening" and an effectiveness benchmarking survey.

Topics in the conversation:

Mentoring
Sharing what you learn about effective governing with fellow citizens
Leading within the new era of board work (accountability, standards, achievement, teacher/principal effectiveness, Colorado's complex and long-term funding crisis...)
Developing peer-to-peer learning inside the team and with neighboring boards
Being a big-picture, grounded-in-realities group of mature adults
Leading as a group/team through policy
Focusing on the unique role of governing
Appraising effectiveness of both board and superintendent throughout the year
Aligning board time to what is most important
Accessing the CASB network for its wealth of policy, legal, engagement, advocacy and leadership development opportunities