Advice that we give boards that is almost useful | Brian Carpenter | TEDxLady Street ED

Board Effectiveness: Beyond "Almost Helpful" Advice

Key Concepts: Board effectiveness, governance vs. management, micromanaging, board responsibilities, policy adoption, informed questioning, board development, charter school governance.

1. The Problem: Ineffective Boards

• Peter Drucker's Observation: 51 years ago, Peter Drucker stated that "the one thing all boards have in common is they do not function," highlighting a long-standing issue of board ineffectiveness.
• Charter School Closures: The high number of charter school closures (hundreds or thousands in the past 20 years) due to revocation, non-renewal, or insolvency serves as evidence of board governance failures.
• Core Issue: To reduce closures and fraud, boards need better training on effective governance.

2. "Almost Helpful" Advice: Debunking Common Misconceptions

The speaker identifies five common pieces of advice given to boards that are "almost helpful" but ultimately insufficient:

• Avoid Micromanaging:
  • Problem 1: Subjectivity: The definition of "micromanaging" is subjective and unclear.
  • Problem 2: Misdirection: The issue isn't how much the board manages, but that it shouldn't manage at all.
  • John Carver's Perspective: The board's role is to provide oversight of management, not to participate in management.
  • Revised Advice: Stop co-managing and start governing.
• Stay in Your Own Lane:
  • Problem: The "lane lines" are not clearly defined.
  • Solution: Boards need to be taught where the lane lines are and periodically evaluate themselves to ensure they are staying within them. The speaker has researched and developed distinctions, implying a framework exists.
• Focus on the Big Picture:
  • Problem 1: Subjectivity: "Big picture" is a subjective term with no objective definition. Example: Chicken finger breading debate vs. charter renewal.
  • Problem 2: Neglecting Operations: Schools often face issues and lawsuits due to problems in daily operations, which this advice implicitly discourages boards from addressing. Example: Financial policies and procedures.
  • Revised Advice: Focus on:
    • How well the school is producing the outcomes it was chartered to produce.
    • How well it is operating within all required parameters (e.g., sound financial controls).
• The Board's Role is to Adopt Policies:
  • Problem 1: Oversimplification: Equating the entire board role to adopting policies is reductive.
  • Problem 2: Management Function: Risk management literature suggests policy adoption is a management function, as management possesses the subject matter expertise.
  • Problem 3: Lack of Engagement: Boards often adopt policies without reading or understanding them, violating their duty of obedience.
  • Revised Advice: Ensure the organization's policies (regardless of who adopted them) are actually being followed.
• The Board Should Ask Questions:
  • Problem: Boards often ask irrelevant or trivial questions instead of focusing on critical areas. Example: Chicken finger breading, sock colors.
  • Solution: The board should ask informed questions.
  • Revised Advice: The board should ask informed questions.
  • Examples of Informed Questions:
    • How well are we following our financial policies and procedures? (Document the answer in the minutes.)
    • Has everyone with access to significant amounts of money passed a criminal background check?
    • How well are our students accomplishing the outcomes we were chartered to produce?

3. The Informed Question Challenge

• Challenge: At the next board meeting, ask: "When was the last time as a board that we participated in board development so we could become more effective at governance?"
• Response Strategy: If met with confusion, offer to play a TEDex video on the topic.

4. Synthesis/Conclusion

The speaker argues that common advice given to boards is often too vague or misdirected to be truly helpful. He advocates for a shift in focus from management to governance, emphasizing the importance of clearly defined roles, a focus on outcomes and operational parameters, and the asking of informed questions. Ultimately, he stresses the need for ongoing board development to improve effectiveness and prevent governance failures.