Expertise & Learner’s Mindset
Looking from the deck of a ferry on Japan’s Seto Inland Sea.
Background:
Years ago, as part of a consulting project with a national Not-For-Profit, the final step involved a well-vetted proposal going to the Board for approval. I envisioned the rubberstamp that would follow a brief explanation from the acting ED, who would field a performative question or two, so that Directors could feel they were providing oversight. The following week, I received word that the proposal had been rejected. If there was rationale to share, it was not shared with me. As I commiserated with my client contacts, we acknowledged that we must have missed something.
I have revisited this experience several times since. The most disconcerting have been when I was part of the decision-making meetings. There are always a few around the table who I suspect have the same reaction. We will share a subtle moment where our expression betrays the unspoken question: “What just happened?!”
Challenges for Boards:
Curiosity is a welcome state for those who can adopt and maintain a “learner’s mindset.” If we hear a contrary perspective, such a mindset turns, “WHAT are you THINKING?” (i.e. You are soooo wrong!), into the more helpful, “What ARE you thinking?” (i.e. I would like to better understand your reasoning). When an unexpected group decision arises, rather than accepting the bewilderment, we should ask (ourselves or others) “What DID just happen?”
For adults, professional personal development is complicated and, in this context, the learner’s mindset pairs very well with deep expertise. I recently had the opportunity to watch a hockey game in the company of a coach who had deep experience working at the professional levels. The casual (but not completely uninformed) observer (i.e. me) would have missed a great deal of what my expert observed and shared. Competent behaviour can sometimes generate a bad result. I realized that if poor decision was not followed by an obvious bad result, I was unaware. The “near miss” would not even register with me.
Expert guidance on where to focus our attention is incredibly helpful. A blank invitation to “watch and learn” can be problematic because observations can reinforce dubious connections. If our new Board members are engaging in “watch and learn” orientations, the take-aways may be unhelpful or simply wrong (e.g. “OK. I guess that particular by-law just doesn’t apply sometimes.”).
So, where do we find expertise when it comes to setting up a Board of Directors to work with their Executive Leadership?
The short answer is that it does not exist in one place. The longer answer lays out the problems:
Strategy is hard: We try to keep the conversation at a sufficiently strategic level that the Board is providing direction for the Executive Leadership to operationalize, but veering into abstract conversations causes people to lose their words and/or their nerve. Getting too operational causes a different tension. “Noses in fingers out” is an oversimplification. Elephants can quickly take up occupancy in meeting rooms.
Gauging impact is hard: We all know the truism, “What gets measured gets managed,” but it is incredibly challenging to measure impact, let alone connect that to specific programs and activities. Questioning and probing can feel like moving your poor EDs goal posts or can open rabbit holes of circular cause-and-effect discussions. If part of what we do is prevention, it is even worse: How can we ever know what would have happened if we weren’t running those programs?
Well-intended people behave in unhelpful ways: Good intentions and good manners generate a wide range of reasonable and justifiable behaviours that are not conducive to effectively meeting the above challenges.
We don’t ask questions because we don’t want to take up valuable time.
We don’t challenge stances because we don’t want to create tension.
We don’t slow the conversation down to test an assumption because we didn’t even notice that the assumption was made.
There are reams of support available for each of the above specific problems. Since strategic planning, governance and interpersonal communication are inseparable, it is really hard to find the right solution for your particular problem. An inherent danger in inviting such support is that we rely on external resources to solve complicated internal challenges.
For the better part of two decades I have been supporting and observing people trying to work together towards mutually beneficial outcomes. With consultation from others in the field, I am launching a four-module experiential learning program that raises awareness and builds skills to make better Board members, who in turn make better Boards.
Let me know if you care to hear more.