Story

EVERYTHING is a story. It’s up to you to LEAD the story for the organization, for your team, and for your prospects.

Story

No More Boards

STOP BOARDS.

We realize this sounds totally insane. Again, we’m trying to grab your attention and make a point. In the roughly 10,000+ organizations we’ve worked with, we doubt we could find a handful that were truly satisfied with their Board. Most ‘NONPROFIT’ BOARDS are USELESS! (In the COLLECTIVE sense.) There. We’ve said it. Out loud. It’s probably the same thing you’ve been thinking but aren’t willing to admit.

  • ‘BOARDS’ are all about being ‘SAFE’ (vs. SCALE and GROW).
  • ‘BOARDS’ are all about ‘SUSTAINABILITY’ (vs. IMPACT.)
  • ‘BOARDS’ are all about FINANCIAL REPORTS and 2% YIELD from the PORTFOLIO. (vs. IMPACT.)
  • ‘BOARDS’ create COMPLEXITY. (vs. SIMPLICITY and getting stuff done.)

3 reasons your ‘COLLECTIVE BOARDS’ are useless, worthless, ineffective:

1. SACRED COWS. We’ve always done it this way. Your Board ends up with what Tom Peters calls D.S.G.Y.s: Designated, Self-Appointed, Guardians of Yesterday.

2. SELF-PERPETUATION. Like-minded people nominating and finding like-minded people.

3. ENTREPRENEURIAL ATTITUDE. Lack thereof. No entrepreneur worth their calling would spend time on a ‘wishy-washy, play it safe, don’t make waves’ Board. P.S. We feel the same thing about COMMITTEES! “We’re going to put together a committee to study our committees.” Or worse, “Putting a committee together to reduce the number of committees”.

Again, in the collective, Boards are much like a MOB. Filled with people looking to: Show up. Meet. Have information disseminated. Leave.

START FINDING CHAMPIONS AND C.P.A.s

Find CHAMPIONS and Committed Passionate Advocates (C.P.A.s) who want to help you CHANGE THE WORLD! Get the right people on the bus and on board! Look for ENTREPRENEURS, weirdos, freaks and whackos (as Peters and Suddes would say). These are the kind of people who are creative and innovative and positive and uplifting. I know you need a BOARD as part of your fiduciary responsibility to your organization. You do not need a BOARD comprised of people looking to get their names on the letterhead and add to their vitae. Most B-O-A-R-Ds are simply B-O-R-E-D. (and BORING.)

“Getting the RIGHT people on the RIGHT seats on your bus allows you to move in any direction that you want.” – Jim Collins

Download the For Impact Guidebook: On Boards for more insights.