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Building a Board that works cohesively on a consistent basis is
similar to, and requires many of the same disciplines that are
used in, building a team. Team building is not something that we
hope will happen as a by-product of the things that a team does;
it’s something that you can make happen. It is a special process
that a group undertakes to make the group more effective.
According to Webster, a team is “a number of persons associated
together in work or activity”. Teamwork is defined as “the work
or activity of a number of persons acting together as a unit”.
Easily said, not necessarily easily accomplished. There are
several misconceptions about teamwork. Many management people
believe that teamwork is what happens when a group simply meets
and talks about business, when a group votes on a matter
concerning their business, or when the group functions without
friction. All, or each, of these attributes may be helpful, and
can happen without true teamwork, but they miss the point. In
truth, teamwork is a managed, planned, systematic, and
coordinated activity by a group for the purpose of achieving a
common goal.
Jointly and severally, members of a Board of Directors, have a
great responsibility placed on them to participate in a dialogue
that will ultimately set the direction, policies, and goals of
their organization.
Functions of a Board
Peter Drucker once said, “An effective board asks inconvenient
questions. An effective board insists on being informed before
the event – this is its legal responsibility. An effective
board, in other words, insists on being effective”.
The three tasks of an efficiently functioning Board are:
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Trusteeship - Probably the most important function of a
Board may be summed up in the term “trusteeship”, the
preservation and safekeeping of the assets of the entity.
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Review Body -The enterprise needs a body made up of
experienced people of integrity and stature to counsel, advise,
deliberate, and direct the enterprise’s top management regarding
the establishment, implementation, and review of the vision and
objectives of the enterprise. This body may also be involved in
the selection of key executives and the establishment and
approval of budgets.
-
Intelligent Outsider - Many times, management needs an
informed, intelligent group who, although linked inexorably to
the enterprise, will have a more objective view of the
activities of the enterprise and be in a better position to
assist management with specific items that may have a lasting
effect on the future of the enterprise.
Building the Board
An efficient Board realizes that each member must contribute to
the overall results that the Board achieves. Each member,
usually, brings different levels of knowledge, skills, and
talents to the group, which helps to create a special “climate”
within which the Board will communicate with each other. As a
unit, the Board should search out these different attributes so
that they can draw upon these different competencies.
Sea Bright Enterprises, Inc., can work with your Board to
develop a customized program to assist the Board, as a unit, to
work more effectively together to achieve their objectives. Our
role is to create the program for the Board, and then facilitate
its implementation. Any program developed will be the exclusive
property of the Board, and will include the appropriate
materials and facilitation guides.
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