Board Interactions: Sharing Responsibilities
The word “Complexity” written in a stylized font above a solid line, which in turn is above the word “Collaborating” written in the same stylized font.
Pre-amble
The interplay between complexity and simplicity can easily surface in discussing organizational performance and you can hear this in such comments as, “I don’t know what part of this your are not understanding,” and, “There is more going on here than I think you realize.” Simple conclusions often miss important elements. Seemingly straightforward actions can be extremely difficult to initiate (let alone sustain). In my experience, “communication” can too easily become the focus, with simple belief that, “if they only listened/understood/accepted, this would all be OK.” (BTW - Who is “they” in that sentence?)
Communication and complexity
Whether you are a professional coach, a trusted team member, or simply a human being who pays a bit of attention, we realize that every story has at least two sides. In speaking to such complexity, one communication tenet involves beginning nuanced discussions (e.g. providing feedback) by sharing objective facts and establishing a shared context. For example:
“This is a busy time for our team. You submitted your work at a reasonable level of completion, but you missed the agreed upon deadline by almost a full day.”
Depending on the situation, someone could take issue with “busy time” (e.g. “It is always this hairy! That is the problem!”), or they could take issue with “team” (e.g. “Are you joking? Some of these people do nothing at all!”). “Reasonable,” “full day,” and “agreed upon” could come under similar scrutiny to the point where we may feel all we can safely say is, “You did some work and you sent it to me.” Ignoring potential nightmare scenarios, even when we are reasonably in sync with a colleague, we can have very different ideas regarding the consequences of having received a document Wednesday, late morning, vs. while the calendar still read “Tuesday.”
Simple communication training will bring focus to structure and clarity, which align with the (overly?) simple notion: “Let me make it as easy as possible for you to understand my thinking because once you really understand me, you will most certainly agree with me or, at very least, accept what I am saying as true.” (It is simple: Always respect deadlines!) This approach falls down with collaboration under complexity, such that simple notions like, “Meetings should follow Robert’s Rules,” and “two-term limits for Board Members, full stop” may miss something fundamental that is impeding progress and performance.
Among many very valuable, yet simple, communications trainings that I have delivered, one particular session stands out. The focus was “feedback,” but rather than building the skill in the manager who had to engage with a direct report, the session dealt with how the direct report could play a role in seeking out valuable feedback and creating a dynamic that made it easier for the manager to deliver this important information. In the spirit of two-sided stories, if we agree that:
Providing feedback is valuable, AND
Delivering it is part of a manager’s job, YET
Many things make giving feedback difficult,
THEN we could help by:
Building the leader’s skills in delivering messages amid the challenges, OR
Finding ways to lessen the challenges such that even a less skilled leader can be effective, OR
Doing both.
By acknowledging the roles that that parties can play in navigating the situation, we are highlighting shared responsibility, which is very helpful when collaborating under complexity.
Supporting Board Interactions
Acknowledging this shared responsibility underpins the approach that I am bringing to a new initiative to help the Boards of Not-for-Profit organizations to collaborate under complexity. To make the case for why those involved in both Executive and Board Leadership positions require support, let’s first look what makes it tough:
We have lots of “evidence”
The well-intended efforts to better understand the situation can lead us to pouring over industry reports (e.g. Research | Imagine Canada) or generate our own surveys, studies, metrics and analysis. All of this needs to be taken with the grain of salt. None of it applies completely.
People have experiences
Despite what “the data” says, people may hear/see/experience something different. How many times have we heard a such claims as, “That is not what happened to me,” or, “That is not what I am hearing.” Sometimes these experiences are ours or we hear them from important stakeholders who cannot be ignored or dismissed.
Theories of change can change (and then change back)
Your Board has probably done some really good work to uncover a shared understanding of “how things actually work” in your sector with what you are trying to accomplish. It is hard to know if that work was really rigourous and, even if it was, how much is still relevant. It seems like anything done before 2020 is out of date because “COVID 19 changed the world!”
We have been framed to death
“Well, that is one lens on what we are seeing,” can be a common, if tiresome comment when there is a lot going on. Go ahead and tell me about the limitations of a “scarcity mindset,” but when we can’t hang onto good staff because we are not paying them competitively and our main revenue sources are drying up, you will forgive me for thinking that we could DO more if we HAD more.
History has weight and memories have length
Previous activity has a massive impact on our interactions. Direct (e.g. “I remember when we…) and indirect (e.g. “I am not sure what they were thinking when…) connection to those actions create power dynamics and resistance in any organization. History is full of “theys” who acted or did not, creating results that were awesome or disappointing. “They” can both act and perceive. Some of “they” may still be at your table.
Amid this, these and other challenges, those on a well-functioning Board are tasked with:
Providing sufficient direction for an Executive Leader to allow them to execute, WHILE
Delivering oversight that is not seen as meddling, AND
Challenge them without damaging the working relationship.
An Executive leader has to:
Operate under some degree of ambiguity, BUT
Clarify roles with their Board without stepping on toes, AND
Educate the Board (often assist in unlearning?) without coming across as condescending or defensive.
There are many resources available to Board Members, Board Chairs and Executive Leaders to train and educate. To explore another side of the story, we have developed a program to support new Board members (or those seeking to develop in the role) to make the above tasks less difficult.
The Program
The three-part curriculum covers three main areas of Board Governance:
Understanding Strategy
Gauging Performance
Fostering Collaboration
Each part consists of one two-hour online group session and an intersession assignment. The final deliverable is a presentation in a fourth and final session.
NOTE: Program details and registration information available on request by contacting: operations@measureofsuccess.ca