RELEVANT REVIEWS
High-Impact Governing in a Nutshell
17 Questions That Board Members
and CEOs Frequently Ask
2004.
Eadie, Douglas C. Washington, DC:
American Society of Association
Executives. 119 pages. Soft cover
(6" x 9"). ISBN 0-88034-250-1
www.asaenet.org
Price
$29.95 U.S. ($23.95 U.S. for members)
Plus
shipping & handling and applicable taxes.
Note:
Also available in Canada through
www.csae.com
Author Doug Eadie has authored yet
another very interesting book on association
governance and leadership. What appeals to me
most about the book is that it is practical where most
publications like this are overly theoretical.
In this very readable book, Eadie
poses some highly interesting questions, and he has
done a good job targeting the right questions and
keeping the list to only seventeen.
The questions are reproduced in the
table of contents below, and I expect most readers,
whether from the Board or staff perspective, would
identify with at least half of them.
In answering each of the questions,
Eadie provides loads of advice and suggestions that
will be useful for association Boards and CEOs to
consider. His experience in working with
association Boards and CEOs is evident, and he
includes various examples to reinforce his concepts.
That being said, I certainly did not
agree with all of his views and suggestions.
For example, most organizations that
have moved to smaller Boards would never go back to
larger Boards (25-30), but Eadie seems to have no
problems with the traditional large Board.
He appears to be a huge critic of
Carver's policy governance model, but I think some of
that is based on a lack of understanding of the model.
In addition, I feel he blames the model when
implementation is the issue. Eadie's suggestions
for high-impact governance would also be unsuccessful
if implemented poorly, but that does not mean his
proposed approaches are wrong.
I see many similarities between the
better governance practices that Eadie recommends and
the elements of Carver's model. In my view,
association boards and staff would be well served by
reading both Carver's and Eadie's views on governance
when determining their own approach to governance.
Overall, this is a worthwhile read for
any association director, CEO or manager, regardless
of the organization's development stage or their size.
Just remember to balance it off with other governance
reading, and to keep in mind that execution is almost
everything!
Table of Contents
Forward
Preface
Acknowledgements
Questions
-
How can we develop a high-impact governing board?
-
What is the CEO's role in board development?
-
What does it mean to "govern"?
-
What is the ideal size for a governing board?
-
What can we do to make sure that we get the right people to fill board vacancies?
-
How can we prepare board members to govern effectively?
-
How can we help our board members become a cohesive governing team?
-
How can our board participate in a meaningful way in strategic planning?
-
How can we involve our board in implementing strategic change?
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How can our board participate in a meaningful way in operational planning and budget development?
-
Is there a valid role for our board to play in fundraising?
-
What can our board do in the area of external relations?
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How can standing committees contribute to high-impact governing?
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How can our board manage its own performance as a governing body?
-
What can we do to make sure the board-CEO partnership stays strong and healthy?
-
What role should senior managers play in the governing process?
-
How can we ensure that board-staff retreats are successful events?
About the Author
|
Wayne
Amundson is president of Association Xpertise Inc.
and Publisher/Editor of The
Canadian Association e-zine.
|
