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Upcoming Events JANUARY
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January is
Alzheimers Awareness Month
4 -- World Braille Day
12 -- N'l Clean Off Your Desk Day
15 -- Hat Day
21 -- Weedless Wednesday
26 -- Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day
27 -- Holocaust Memorial Day (UN)
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Shout Out!
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A big thanks to some who made my life better in December
Pat Bragg
David Cheoros
Sue Huff
Kelly McClung
Jenny & Adesh Narine
Andy Northrup
Tracey Soroka
Kevin Tokarsky
Janna Tominuk
Bev West
Gord West
Jill Wood
L'Arche Edmonton
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Websites/Links to check
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On-Line Bubble Wrap Game (It's fun!)
Click Here
Alzheimers Society of Canada (Find your local office)
Click Here
How to Put On a Duvet Cover (Cool!)
Click Here
LUE-42 Enterprises
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Procrastinating Isn't Always Bad!
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Ahhh, music to my ears! In the latest "Alberta Wellness" magazine Alana Belik advises us "Analyze Your Procrastination". I can do that easily (because analysis beats whatever else I should be doing)!.
She tells us what we already now: that "Procrastination tends to compound the stress of a busy schedule by adding urgency, anxiety, and guilt into the mix." Then she advises us, since subconscious always wins over our conscious, to look a little deeper. We need to know what makes us happy versus what we think will make us happy. She says, "Our actions speak louder than our thoughts, especially if they are going against what we think we want." Ouch.
"Procrastinating big jobs can often spur us to complete tasks that we didn't even know we wanted to do," Belik says. I have certainly found this to be true. She used an example of painting a hallway that bugged her and even though she likes painting she couldn't get to it. Instead she organized a couple of drawers and called a friend she'd been meaning to speak to. Although the hall didn't get painted, she felt great about what she did.
For me, I'd been avoiding all the Christmas stuff, but on December 23 I found myself sitting in a chair in front of the TV and writing cards to my mom's friends (not my friends, not my clients -- only the people whom I know are also missing her). I didn't know I needed to do that until I put off what I thought I "should" be doing. I felt much better, and I have no doubt my friends and clients will forgive me (if they gave it a thought at all).
Belik offers a few tips to sort the "to do" list. Ask yourself:
1. Does it really need to be done? (Be honest!).
2. Can or should it wait until later? (For me, this happens with final reports more often than not).
3. Can you hire someone else to do it? (Go ahead and figure out your cost versus your time and sacrifice).
4. Can you break it down? (She suggests trying 15 minute increments).
5. Can you take baby steps? (Small increments can work well).
Good luck!
wellnessalbertamag.com
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Wish I'd said that...
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"Don't give up. Keep going. There is always a chance that you stumble onto something terrific. I have never heard of anyone stumbling over anything while he/she was sitting down."
-- Ann Landers
"Experience is not what has happened to you, but how you have dealt with it and what you have done with it." -- Unknown "A body at rest remains at rest unless acted on by a full bladder or an empty wine glass." -- Steffany Hanlen |
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Heard in the Board Room
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Agreeance (Like agreement, I suppose)
Dealing in Grey Matter (Even more dangerous than a grey area)
Regularize (It's an actual Verb!
We need more fun and less dick-measuring (I agree. But I still WIN!)
Let's break for 10 minutes and everyone be back in 15 (The most honest call for a break I've ever heard)
and my favourite of the month
(while reading a text...) I have to announce that my clownfish just made it in with my anenome!
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Signs
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In a Podiatrist's office:
"Time wounds all heels."
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On a Septic Tank Truck:
Yesterday's Meals on Wheels
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On a Church's Bill board:
"7 days without God makes one weak."
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At a Tire Store
"Invite us to your next blowout."
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On an Electrician's truck:
"Let us remove your shorts."
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On a Maternity Room door:
"Push. Push. Push."
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At an Optometrist's Office:
"If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."
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Outside a Car Exhaust Store:
"No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."
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In a Vets waiting room:
"Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"
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Reader Notes
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"I LOVE your newsletter! You always put a smile on my face." (DV)
"Thanks for the mention...Love your newsletter." (JS)
"Cat-herders! LOL." (EP)
"I always enjoy reading (your newsletter) and know I will laugh several times." (KM)
"...sure enjoy your newsletter - don't worry, I've changed my email address so I can continue to receive it." (LJ)
"I found my name - thanks - I'm a celebrity now too eh!!" (MH)
Special thanks to my contributors this month -- Laureen Regan, Barry Cavanaugh, Keith Galliott, Kathy Roy, Mary Anne Tranh.
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SPRING ALIBI
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Photo by Russ Hewitt
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SPRING ALIBI
by Linda Wood Edwards
Starring
Sue Huff &
Andy Northrup
Directed by
Kevin Tokarsky
Co-Produced by
David Cheoros
Sat. March 7/15 at 7.30pm Spring Alibi, multi-award winner and international hit, flashes Adelaide to celebrate its 10th anniversary in March 2015!
Bakehouse Theatre (studio)
March 5, 6, 7/15 at 7.30pm March 10, 11, 12, 13, 14/15 at 9.00pm Matinee March 14/15 at 1pm
For more info or ideas of how you can help get Spring Alibi to Australia, check out
www.lue42.com/springalibi2015
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SPRING ALIBI
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Photo by Russ Hewitt
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SPRING ALIBI
by Linda Wood Edwards
Starring
Sue Huff &
Andy Northrup
Directed by
Kevin Tokarsky
Co-Produced by
David Cheoros
Spring Alibi, multi-award winner and international hit, flashes Adelaide to celebrate its 10th anniversary in March 2015!
Bakehouse Theatre (studio)
March 5, 6, 7/15 at 7.30pm March 10, 11, 12, 13, 14/15 at 9.00pm Matinee March 14/15 at 1pm
For more info or ideas of how you can help get Spring Alibi to Australia, check out
www.lue42.com/springalibi2015
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Books by Moi
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Understanding Bylaws: A Guide for Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations
ISBN 978-0-9866030-0-6
Exceptional Board Members, Exception Boards
ISBN 978-0-9866030-1-3
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*
| | With fond acknowledgement to Douglas Adams and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy |
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Join Our List
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Spread the Word!
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To forward this to a friend click below
To use the content, please include this blurb: Linda Wood Edwards and LUE-42 Enterprises produces "Life, the Universe, and Everything" for her clients and subscribers. Visit www.lue42.com for more information
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If you've been reading my e-zine awhile you know that I'm never sorry to see December turn into a new year. By the 12th month I am good and done with it! Trying to find new ways to trick myself into feeling as festive as everyone else (appears) can be very tiresome. However! This year, in spite of it being my first Christmas without my mom, I found a couple of winners.
The first is the L'Arche Christmas Pageant. L'Arche Edmonton is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a community where people with and without developmental disabilities can live, work, and share their lives together. They put on the BEST pageant! In addition to all the characters in the stable and a real baby, there was an orchestra and a choir. We sang along to the old favourites and then a chorus of "Silent Night" was sung by each of the workers in their own languages -- over 20 of them! It was brilliant, and the Food Bank gained from everyone's generosity.
The next seasonal winner was a staged version of a radio show of "It's A Wonderful Life" at the beautiful Capitol Theatre in Fort Edmonton Park. It's also gaining "tradition" status, so check it out next year.
Our performance of, and fundraiser for, SPRING ALIBI exceeded all expectations. So many people commented on what a great event it was, and the performance was so much fun! Graham Neil of CTV was a wonderful host and all our volunteers knocked everyone's socks off. The crew at Metro Cinema at the Garneau rounded out the long list of people who made it a such a grand experience. Thank you to all!
I decided that to honour my mom I would bake her Christmas favourites. My niece Jill came and helped and although I'd never made these things unsupervised before, we did a satisfactory job of her Swedish Rye Bread, Finska Pinnar cookies, and lefse. I guess this tradition can carry on (but we'll dine out for the lutefisk, thank you very much).
Another plus for December is a chance to catch up on some reading. On the Boards & Advisors discussion board, the question was posed: What are the trends you see in boards for the coming year? Contributor Thomas Goh forecasts: Governance, director behaviours, board composition, and diversity. Another discussion board added sustainability to the list. Certainly I hear risk management a ton lately too.
These trends aren't going away, and in particular I suspect that director behaviours are going to chew up much of our time again. And again, we will try to mitigate it by changing board composition and terms, instead of just calling out people for inappropriate behaviour and showing them how to do it better. So I am going to try harder to lead by example with boards in 2015: I will behave better and I will call bad behaviour quicker. I accept that this time next year, I won't be winning any popularity contests!
So that's one thing I'll do, and I am working on my list of other changes I'll make. In "Alberta Wellness" magazine Steffany Hanlen talks about why some goals we set for ourselves don't work. She's doing what I just said I'd do: she's calling BS on bad behaviour (in this case, our own). She says, "To get a different result something, or someone has to change and that someone is you. Things don't change, we do. Not only what you do, how you do it changes, you may even have to change how you think and feel. When you say you want something different you have to change things. It's non-negotiable, but change is hard." So there you have it. YOU have to change (Read: I have to change). Dang it!
My gifted friend Kathy Roy puts out a lovely newsletter called "Heart and Soul." In her latest issue she challenges us to reflect on how our year has unfolded. This doesn't have to take long and you don't have to write it down, but why not ask yourself:
- What are some of the highlights of your year?
- What are some things you feel proud of?
- What are you most grateful for?
- What lessons did you learn that will help you on your path?
May you find a quiet moment in the next few days to honour the year you have had. Then go ahead and figure out what you want to do differently in 2015.
"To be successful you can't show up to the potluck with just a fork."
/lmwe
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The Answer
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Q: DOES THE "SOLIDARITY RULE" FOR BOARDS ACTUALLY WORK?
A: It has to, or the system falls apart. The rule/principle is that once a board makes a decision, then everyone speaks with one voice no matter how they voted. Sure, it's difficult, but it is essential.
Eli Mina's new book "101 Boardroom Problems and How to Solve Them" has a great section on this topic. He says, "...once a decision is made it is no longer a majority decision. It is a board decision, and the minority is duty-bound to accept it as a legitimate collective decision and move on." This really is the thing that keeps boards going.
However, Mina discusses some of cautions related to the Solidarity Rule, such as:
- expecting a dissenter to actively endorse a board decision is probably unrealistic;
- you should help people answer questions in public or by constituents (i.e., yes I voted against it, but having been heard I stand by the board's decision);
- make sure people ARE heard;
- make sure the board has the power to make the decision;
- you need really clear disciplinary processes in your policies, bylaws, and/or legislation in order to enforce;
- if new, significant information emerges then it is OK to revisit if the decision has not be implemented (but don't abuse this).
I have referred to Eli Mina throughout my entire association management/governance career and I've had the privilege of meeting him a few times and attending some of his workshops. In my view, he is the expert's expert in Canada. If you deal with boards, you should definitely have a look at his book. I purchased mine through the Canadian Society of Association Executives at www.csae.com but you can also go directly to www.elimina.com
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Thank You !!
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Linda and the cast and crew of SPRING ALIBI wish to thank all their sponsors and supporters so far:
Kangaroo Sponsors
Wallaby Sponsors
Wombat Sponsors
Koala Sponsors There is still time to support the SPRING ALIBI tour in 2015, so please get in touch with Linda for more information. Thank you!
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About LUE-42 Enterprises
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I help associations and boards with tasks that can't be done in-house due to lack of capacity, time, skill, or a combination. I spend most of my time with governance, planning, bylaws, board development, interim management, and writing. I'm also a playwright, a funeral celebrant, and a big fan of the Canadian Football League. I have a great life. If I can help to improve your life, let me know.
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