The Governance Guys

Understanding how your Board can be effective begins with an assessment of your Board’s architecture. Author, consultant, and non-Executive Director Mark A. Pfister joins us to talk about what he means by the architecture of a Board and how individual Board members need to meet the demands of their roles in order to serve the organization well. This conversation touches on a number of key governance principles and best practices and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Mark A. Pfister is CEO & Chief Board Consultant of M. A. Pfister Strategy Group, an executive advisory firm that serves as a strategic advisory council for executives and Boards in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He is also Chairman & CEO of Integral Board Group, a specialized Board services and consulting company. Mr. Pfister is a ‘Board Macro-Influencer’ and his success has been repeated across a wide range of business situations and environments. He prides himself on being a coach and mentor to senior executives and directors. In Board Director circles, Mr. Pfister has earned the nickname ‘The Board Architect.’ His book is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Across-Board-Architecture-Effective-Directors/dp/0692064265

When you sit on a Board, part of your role is to deal with difficult situations. When inevitable challenges and dilemmas arise, the organization will benefit from Directors who show courage, wisdom, humility, and a strong commitment to the Board. Join us as consultant, author, experienced Director, and frequent media commentator Julie Garland McLellan guides us through how to deal with difficult situations that can arise in the world of governance.

Julie Garland McLellan is the creator and author of the very popular and internationally circulated Director’s Dilemma newsletter, available at: https://www.directorsdilemma.com/. Ms. Garland McLellan is an experienced board director with current directorships, an international expert on corporate governance, and a corporate governance advisor to mid and small-cap boards, Julie champions the cause of directors required to shoulder enormous responsibility on a shoestring budget.

How can a Board build trust in its organization and broader community? Can a Board really monitor and even measure trust? How? Rahul Bhardwaj, CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors, sits down to discuss with us the critical role that all Boards play in rebuilding trust in their organizations. The ICD’s recently published Trust Toolkit explains that companies that are industry leaders “regularly outperform the overall trust level for their sector.” Join us to find out why trust is so important today and how having your Board pay close attention to it can help your organization and your community to thrive.

Rahul Bhardwaj is the CEO & President of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD), the Chair of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI), and is a member of the Leadershpi Council at the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership at Ivey Business School. He is a frequent speaker and commentator on issues of governance and leadership and his thought-provoking insights are challenging Boards and organizations to more broadly consider the impact of their work and seek to build strong, vibrant, thriving communities.

Preparing for a Board meeting is a critical part of your work as a Director. When done well it can ensure that the Board fulfills its responsibility to provide oversight, insight, and foresight for the organization. Join us as we sit down with Scott Baldwin, Co-Founder of DirectorPrep.com, to hear from him about how to follow the PREP framework in advance of a Board meeting so that you make sure your contribution is meaningful.

Find more resources to prepare for your meeting at https://savvy.directorprep.com/

You can sign up for the DirectorPrep newsletter by clicking here.

Boards need to be intentional about succession planning for new Directors and for key leadership positions. How should Boards assess their current capacity, seek out the right people to join the Board, and raise up leaders within the Board?

Can culture be managed? Measured? Improved? Is it a function of leadership? Join us as we chat with Dr. Debra Brown, President and CEO of Governance Solutions, as she shares her research findings and wealth of Board experience related to organizational culture. Her insights show that culture can not only be managed well but that it is critically important, and strategic, to regularly monitor it at the Boardroom table. Dr. Brown describes different types of culture, the broader organizational impact of developing the right culture in the Board, and the need to lead culture rather than have it lead you.

In addition to her work at Governance Solutions and on various Boards, Dr. Brown is the author and co-author of many excellent books, available here: https://www.amazon.ca/Dr-Debra-L-Brown/e/B08375DVSP/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_2 and the amazing resources and team over at www.governancesolutions.ca

It is widely accepted that Board members should have a term limit and in this episode Paul convinces Andrew that this topic is not only important but actually pretty exciting. Term limits offer an opportunity for Boards to develop leaders within the Board, plan out skill development, and help Board members focus on making an impact that outlasts their years of service. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat for a solid half hour and thank you for listening.

Are you wondering about how to put together a plan to develop the governance skills of your Board members? Are you wondering about how you might increase your competency as a Board Director? Paul and Andrew discuss their experiences and some strategies to consider in your Board development plan. What skills are you hoping to develop? How should you provide education/formation to your Board members? Who should lead the planning and the sessions?

Some resources mentioned include:

Capacity Canada
The Directors College
Institute for Corporate Directors
Governance Solutions by Debra Brown and David Brown
The Imperfect Board Member by Jim Brown
High Performance Boards by Dider Cosin

Paul and Andrew chat about some important lessons to be learned regarding a recent governance issue that was reported in the news. Plus we respond to two listener questions about Board Orientations and what to expect in your Board meeting package. Email in your questions to [email protected]

If you were joining a dance group then you would want to know what kind of dance the group practices. If you were joining a football team then you would need to know the type of offence and defence the team uses. When you join a Board you need to understand its governance model. Boards have different ways of broadly looking at their role in their organization. There are many different models of Board governance and it is important to know which one your Board uses so that you can understand more clearly your role as a Director. Marion Thomson Howell, President of Shaugnessy Howell Inc., Executive-in-Residence at Capacity Canada, and Vice-Chair of the Board of St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario, sits down with us to review 4 general categories of Board governance models and what Board members need to know about the implications for each model.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Eb0OM5ZULc2bmxmQLT3HJ?si=cbvN5WrwSsmTLlBvmajPAw

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-governance-guys/id1506642067#episodeGuid=http%3A%2F%2Fthegovernanceguys.com%2F%3Fp%3D405