Training for new or returning board members is in high demand, and the three-part Board Bootcamp series is an easy way to get started. The goal of the Vision session is to set the tone for effective board leadership, providing affirmation, best practices, and potential trouble spots. Below is an overview of the video seminar. You can view the entire video here.
Why you?
Most people are chosen to be a board trustee because they are:
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Generous, Responsible, Trustworthy, Skilled, Influential, Committed (to the Mission, Culture, & Strategy), Intelligent, and Willing
Congratulations! You're quite talented!!
The board brings together strong-willed and successful people. When such a leader first becomes a trustee, he or she has to somewhat unlearn the habits that created success individually in order to work together for the shared vision of the school.
Board Purpose: 4 Areas of Responsibility
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Fiduciary
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Legally bound to act for the benefit of the community as a trustee
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Compliance with Regulations, Accreditation(s), and Association(s)
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Leader
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Guidance, Follower-ship, Motivation, and Results
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Manager
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Self, Peer, Board, and Chief Accountability
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Coach
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Relationship, Feedback, Wisdom, and Growth
Typical School Organizational Chart:
This is the basic personnel structure of the school. Notice that the only employee of the Board is the Chief Administrator. The Board is most effective when it can express a unifed voice that provides direction for the Chief Administrator, not a voice for every member of the Board.
See the video for a more detailed look at the responsibilities of the different school roles.
Stages of Board Development: Where is your board?
How you are operating as a board depends on where you are in your stage of development. We offer a customized Boot Camp for individual schools based on where you are in your development. If you’re interested in scheduling a free coaching session, Click Here.
What does the ideal trustee look like?
The ideal trustee contributes to board unity, but not at the sacrifice of wise leadership. This means there’s not just compliance, but an ability to recognize the opportunity of setting high expectations and commitment combined with the humility to be part of the larger whole. Trustees have to find that balance. The ideal trustee will also own and promote the school’s viability and visibility, which are the subjects of the next two seminars in the Board Bootcamp series.
What is Vision?
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Core Values
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Beliefs
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Rules
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Knowing the Target Market (Families)
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Unique Value Story
What are some of the Board struggles?
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Passive Driven Purpose (Trustee vs. Member)
Some struggle with understanding the difference between being a member and being a trustee. Think of membership like as if at the country club or at church, where attendance is optional, as is preparation, and the connection is one of convenience. Trusteeship requires presence, sufficient preparation, and true dedication to the mission. -
Executive Calling (Trustee vs. Owner)
The trustee is one in whom responsibility has been placed, but not to own and direct the organization. Governance is a leadership model that must be studied and learned. -
Personal Check (Trustee vs. Parent)
The wise trustee is able to exchange the "parent hat" at the appropriate times, pursuing a bigger vision for the school that one's own individual experience. -
Voice of the People (Trustee vs. Representative)
The board is not a house of representatives, where trustees become the voice of the people. This is not a place for political nor personal agendas. The trustee is a guardian of the mission as well as a guide to the board and the chief administrator. -
Check the Box (Trustee vs. Title)
Accepting the responsibility of trusteeship should not be done for the title. Servant leadership is needed inthe boardroom, with genuine commitment to institutional and personal growth.
Schedule a Free 30 Minute Coaching Session for your chief administrator and/or trustees!
Upcoming Webinars:
Simply click on the title to register!
July 25: Board Bootcamp: Viability - Do We Know How to Get There?
Every Board has specific fiduciary or financial and legal responsibilities that they are accountable for. Fiduciary responsibilities include rules and results that we look for to produce overall health of the school. We want to make sure that the school has sustainability as well as scalability for growth. All structures, finances, people, processes, and systems must be in place and are required to obtain long term viability.
July 30: Board Bootcamp: Visibility - Do We Have Presence?
For a school to be successful, they must be seen and heard. Building a brand, knowing where our markets are, communicating well with them, and establishing results that would be engaging and motivating with that target market of families, as well as donors, and other partners. A Board’s responsibility is making sure that it not only has a plan for visibility, but also making sure that the Board is contributing to that visibility. You don’t want to be the best kept secret in town.
