Books
Book Review: Good Governance is a Choice
Love it so far!-Dr. Bradford Saron, Superintendent, Sun Prairie Schools, WI
Good Governance is a Choice: A Way to Re-Create Your Board the Right Way
Good Governance is a ChoiceGet your copy today!New examples, new advice, new ways to think about this work of governing. The conceptual basis for learning and adopting Coherent Governance® to transform your board.”Too many board members focus on adult versus student issues in an attempt to curry the favor needed to run for a higher […]
The Art of Governing Coherently
The authors draw from their combined 70-plus years of experience in working with public and non-profit boards, including work with hundreds of boards using both Coherent Governance® and Policy Governance®, as they present their insight about how to use the models effectively.
Articles
Finding the Board’s Balance: What Areas Should the Board Oversee in the District?
The complex ecosystem of public education grants school boards broad legal authority. They can, in theory, direct every aspect of district operations—from curriculum to cafeteria contracts. But while legal authority is vast, the responsible use of that authority requires judgment and discipline.Boards that aim to foster healthy, high-performing school systems must ask not just what […]
2025, are you ready for the challenges it will bring?
School boards today operate in a complex and ever-changing environment, requiring thoughtful leadership and strategic decision-making. As we enter 2025, three critical forces will define the year ahead—shifting national politics, a growing student mental health crisis, and the transformative role of technology. These challenges, while daunting, also present opportunities for innovation and growth. Thanks to […]
Searching for a CEO Who Cares About Governance
Maybe your district is currently in the hunt for a new leader. Here are eight tips to increase the likelihood of hiring a CEO who can/will work with a Coherent Governance® board.We’ve worked with boards who have done a great job securing a CEO who can work with them and their governance values. We’ve known others […]
Where have all the superintendents gone?
When we started doing superintendent search work years ago, we could anticipate anywhere from 50 – 100 applicants for any given search we were conducting. Those days are gone.
Key Communicators: Strategic Community Engagement
Engaging with their public in a meaningful way has proved to be one of the most daunting challenges for many of the boards we have worked with over the years. We have struggled to understand why that is. It almost defies logic to think that a public board whose members were elected by the public […]
Intentional Engagement: What Board Members Must Know and Be Able to Do
We have found that Board efforts to communicate within the community is bedeviled by angst, fear, and often a lack of skills. Outreach sometimes is dominated by one member and his/her message. Other boards delegate board communications to the administration and fail to activate the board’s unique engagement role.The result? Failure to build public understanding […]
Communication Skills: The Challenge of these Virtual Meetings
Virtual board meetings. How are they working for you?StiltedUnfocusedEasy to disengageEasier to say inflammatory thingsUnchecked monologuesPoor image or sound projection (so irritating!)Some quick advice that translates to any video conferencing on your schedule, board room or from home.Get the lighting right. Practice with natural lighting and lamps. The inability to see someone hampers the ability […]
Boards Under Attack: Building a Counter Plan
Public boards trying to deal with angry constituents is a challenge. All the “what if” moments to consider – while hoping those what-if events won’t happen. Not to you. Not to your board or Superintendent. Not in your community.We know that district leaders are reeling from the acrimonious attacks at board meetings. For some individual […]
Implementing Coherent Governance in the midst of adversity: 5 key considerations
One of our books quotes a former client who said: “Implementing this thing isn’t easy.”We acknowledge him to be correct. The basic implementation processes, the commitment to focus on outcomes rather than strategies, the board’s pre-planning of its own work and agenda, the practice of actually governing from the level of policy rather than tinkering […]
What is a Leader?
“Clarifying the value system and breathing life into it are the greatest contributions a leader can make.”Dr. Randy Quinn and Linda J. Dawson, senior partnersAGI Aspen Group Intl, LLC. July 2021Few of us have lived in times such as those we have shared during the two years just past. The world and nation likely have faced […]
Mavericks on Board
How do you handle colleagues who resist teamwork? A board is more than a collection of individuals. Every respected authority on the functioning of boards suggests that for a board to be effective as an entity entrusted to govern an organization on behalf of its owners, it must act as a single unit.
How to Hire – and Keep – Your Next Superintendent
The enormously high rate of superintendent turnover in this country is legendary. When a superintendent’s departure is involuntary, both the board and the superintendent usually engage in the blame game. And there usually are no winners at the end of the game.
Good Governance: Art or Science?
What is it about governing an organization that makes it such a formidable challenge? by Linda J. Dawson and Dr. Randy Quinn Some organizations seem to govern well. Results show in the form of high achievement, good interpersonal relations, an organization that operates effectively and efficiently, and strong public or member confidence and support. But for […]
Eight Quick Tips to Increase Meeting Effectiveness
You sometimes feel as if you spend your life in meetings. Some you may consider to be “good,” but maybe—just maybe—some do not feel as if you spent your time well – right? So…how can you improve the quality of your meetings and the precious time spent at board meetings? How can the content of […]
Searching for a CEO who cares about Governance.
8 tips to increase a successful hire. We’ve worked with boards who have done a great job securing a CEO who can work with them and their governance values. We’ve known others who think they hired the right choice, only to have the CEO refuse to work with them in good governance. YIKES! Who wants […]