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Coming in AUGUST
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AUGUST is
Happiness Happens, Romance Awareness, and
Water Quality Month
1 Girlfriends Day!
3 India Pale Ale Day
4 Intern'l Beer Day
7 Global Forgiveness Day
8 Intern'l Cat Day
8 Bowling Day
9 Intern'l Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples (UN)
11 Play in the Sand Day
12 Intern'l Youth Day (UN)
15 Relaxation Day
16 Wave at the Surveillance Cameras Day
17 Thrift Shop Day
19 World Humanitarian Day (UN)
23 Intern'l Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition (UNESCO)
29 Intern'l Day Against Nuclear Tests (UN)
30 Grief Awareness Day
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Shout Out!
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A big thanks to some who made my life better in
July!
MaryJane Alanko
Jenny & Colin Arnott
Leslie Arnott
Erica Brown
Julianna Cantwell
Bobbi Fitzgerald
Mandy Foster
Liz Garratt
Andrew Hoskins
Joe Howdle
Dianne Johnstone
Karen MacKenzie
Robyn Mott
Jenny Narine
Margaret Nickel
Andy Norrhrup
Gerald Osborn
Lori Schmidt
Mike Smith-Knutsen
Jill Wood
Dave Sutherland
Theresa Tsoukalas
"My fondest hope is that I may be worthy of a place in your friendship, and being admitted to that sacred circle, that I may never prove unfaithful to your trust in me."
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Links/Websites
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When Leadership Stress Leads to Addiction (Excellent article from Forbes) Click Here
Article on Bad Board Behaviour and Bylaws killing an organization (It happens...) Click Here
Another Article on Bad Board Behaviour (Takes the fun out of volunteering) Click Here
Cockatiel Performs Elvis (It's pretty funny!)
Click Here
Do You Have to Pull Over for a Funeral Procession? (Stuff you might not know that we are just expected to know) Click Here
What a Wonderful World (Stunning BBC Commercial about a series)
Click Here
10 Photos 1944 and 2014 (Click on each photo to see the difference time has made. Fascinating!)
Click Here
LUE-42 Enterprises (Mine)
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Heard in the
Boardroom
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My board rooms were quiet in July. Congratulations on taking a little time off. I am proud of you!
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Questions for Board Meetings
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I enjoyed a recent blog by Dr. Eugene Fram who often writes about boards. He suggests asking the following questions annually to help your board focus on the important stuff and to help your board meetings be meaningful.
- What is our one sentence strategy? Your board should be able to describe the impact of the organization.
- What is our organization's 10-to-15 year dream? Your board should buy into the "dream" and test it from time to time to make sure you are still chasing the right one.
- What are the non-negotiable core values that dictate how we behave? It's so important that these are decided and shared.
- What are the key priorities we need to focus on in the next three to five years? Make sure your strategic plan dominates your board meetings, not operational reports.
- What are the key metrics or key performance indicators we will use to measure our progress? So many boards skip this step!
- What kind of cash flow do we need to sustain and grow our organization? Having cash puts the nonprofit in a more stable position. That makes every decision (and person) more sane.
Here's the article
Click Here
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Reader Notes
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Yours is the only newsletter I read in its entirety, enjoy immensely, and grab at least 2 take-aways every month. SA
Always learn lots from reading your newsletter. EG
I adore everything about your newsletter, including the author. CAB
Congratulations on your nominations. Next year! CPH
I enjoyed your article on the use or lack of use of cheques for NFPs. RW (Yes you can use it!)
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Contributors to this issue: Helena Hill, Sue Huff, Laureen Regan, Ralph Suppa, Joe Wood
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Wish I'd said that...
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"All I can tell you today is what I have learned. What I have discovered as a person in this world. And that is this: you can't do it alone. As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life."
"I think a good friend, to me, is all about trust and loyalty. You don't ever want to second-guess whether you can tell your friend something."
-- Lauren Conrad
"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo-what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."
-- Oprah Winfrey
"Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer."
~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
"Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. "
-- Kinky Friedman
"There is no such thing as bad beer. It's that some taste better than others."
-- Billy Carter
"'Meow' means 'Woof' in cat."
-- George Carlin
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8 WAYS TO REMEMBER ANYTHING
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Here a summary of a Psychology Today article by Alex Lickerman MD about boosting your memory and keeping it strong.
1. Become interested in what you are learning.
If you care, you remember more.
2. Leverage your vision memory. Associate what you want to remember with an image.
3. Create a mental memory tree. Memorize chunks of info, like you would a phone number.
4. Associate what you're trying to learn with what you already know. Connect ideas, people, etc.
5. Write out item to be memorized over and over again. Make lists, repeat.
6. Summarize each paragraph in the margin (when reading for retention).
7. Do most of your studying in the afternoon. Even if you are a night owl or a morning person.
8. Get adequate sleep before and after studying. Don't cram.
Here's the link to the article and the science behind it. Click Here
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| Books by Moi |
| Understanding Bylaws: A Guide for Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations ISBN 978-0-9866030-0-6 (NOTE: There is good stuff in here, but this book isn't aligned with the Federal NFP Corporations Act or the new BC Societies Act. Email me directly with your bylaws questions about NFPs registered federally or in BC) Exceptional Board Members, Exceptional 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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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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For a while it seemed summer would never get here, and now it's nearly done. I celebrated
Girlfriends Day a month early with a roadtrip with my
Twisted Sisters. It was great to just share a meal, laugh, and cry (mostly from laughing) with people I've known and loved for such a long time.
I also celebrated it with an amazing trip to
Sicamous BC made possible by a dear friend (and distant relative). Leslie transpired to have herself (from Melbourne, Australia) and me impose on relatives in the middle of BC. It worked like a charm! I'm a grateful but not a terribly useful
house guest, but the one thing I can do is host
Taco Night. So here is me, making myself at home in Jenny and Colin's kitchen, hoping like heck that everyone likes tacos. Because I did not/do not have a
Plan B.
I had my first
pickle ball lesson and while I was not a natural, I didn't die from it either. I will have another look at the fastest growing sport in Canada. I also attended a great evening out with a friend at a
Women of Jazz concert. The stories were as entertaining as the music, and the company was awesome.
I started taking a
social media course with, and by, wonderful women. I have been avoiding this and am surprised not by how much I don't know, but by how much fun it is.
I had a long overdue trip to
Golden in an effort to get my play back on track. Certainly the
inspiration is still there so that, combined with the brainstorming efforts of friends, has me getting reacquainted with my script. It really is time to finish another play!
After all this time I finally paid a visit to the Golden
museum. I knew it was going to be a great experience when I saw this on the walkway outside the entrance. I have a rule that I can never just walk over a
hopscotch -- I must do it. So I did. Twice. It's still fun. And the whole trip, hopscotch and all, was good for my soul.
I continued working on my
Inspired Living and Working and met some other participants in the program. Funny, but when you open up about what is happening in your life/business/world I am reminded that I'm never alone on the journey.
I was a guest on a recent episode of the
Eskimo Empire podcast. What a blast sitting around and talking football on the "radio." It was abundantly clear I am not using many of the technology tools available for my business. Hence the reference to the course above by Erica at
BeWell Web Designs. You, dear readers, will be the beneficiaries of this. I am certain of it.
I am also certain I have the best friends and family and circle of people in my life. I am so thankful for that, and also for when friends share the perfect things with you at the perfect time. Here's one -- Thank You,
Karen! Have a great month, and stay safe and clear from the fires.
/lmwe
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The Answer
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Q: IS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL I SHOULD THINK ABOUT BEFORE JOINING A BOARD?
A: Absolutely!
I am often asked by designated professions whether they have a
higher standard of care when sitting on a board. my honest answer is...possibly. BUT! You only owe a higher duty of care on a subject for which you are an expert. That is, if you are a CPA you would have a higher standard of care when reviewing financial statements and audit reports. If you're a governance nerd, like me, you have a higher standard on an organization's effective governance.
In June Jesse A. Millard wrote a good article on what you should know before you join a non-profit board. The article is focused on corporate directors, whereas I usually deal with people who don't serve on boards AT ALL in hopes of involving them.
I couldn't agree more when he says, "As a board member, you have to ensure that you're carrying out the fiduciary duties, which is a mighty responsibility." He adds that "you have the same fiduciary duties, same duty of good faith, same duty of care, and same duty of loyalty on a nonprofit board as you have as a member of a for-profit board."
In spite of this, Millard observes that some business leaders take avoidable risks on not-for-profit boards. He speculates that this is because they don't fully understand that they are running a business.
An easy way to visualize the difference between a not-for-profit and a corporation is with hats. Simply remember which hat you're wearing when you're doing board work, including limitations and powers. For example, board members should not sign papers on behalf of the organization unless the board passes a resolution appointing you as the authorized agent to sign documents.
Millard also suggests collecting proper documentation (e.g., minutes of past meetings, Articles of Incorporation, bylaws) before serving. In addition, all insurances should be reviewed to ensure the are up to date and at the correct level.
Another safeguard is to not accept money as a board member. As long as you don't accept money, you're considered a volunteer under most legislation and therefore not liable for negligence. Accepting an honorarium could mean losing your protections as a volunteer.
And of course, don't serve unless you can attend the meetings. If you're not present at the meetings, you can't fulfill your fiduciary duty. If you can't do that, then it's really not time for you to be on that board.
/lmwe
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"I Just Have a Question..."
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All the information was submitted in detail and in advance of the meeting. You're just about ready to call the question, when a director interrupts with, "I just have a question..."
I really enjoyed this article by Bob Harris and Trevor S. Mitchell. They say what we all think -- did we really miss something of are we about to be taken down a
rabbit hole? Harris and Mitchell tell you it is almost always a rabbit hole! It could be for nefarious reasons but most likely it is because the board member didn't read the package or wasn't listening. They offer a few techniques so we don't fall for this seemingly harmless question:
- Chair says "That's a great question, let's take it up during the break."
- "Point of Order" (if you're following parliamentary procedure.
- Have another board member ask "What is the strategic relevance of this discussion to the topic?" or "How does this advance our strategic plan?"
- Index cards: If a question/idea is not directly related and won't impact the decision, have them write it on an index card. It is passed to staff/committee/officers and the answer is given at the close of the meeting.
- A "weeds" sign on the table that can be pointed to when the board is not being high-level and is getting into the weeds.
The authors stress that it's important to talk about this during orientation to help make it a safe place to bring items back on track.
Here's a link to the article
Click here
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Volunteers Define Leadership
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Robert C. Harris, CAE recently asked volunteers on US-based not-for-profit boards about what leadership meant to them. As you review the following themes, think about your own board and its leadership:
Desired characteristics:
- Invisible, deflecting the credit for success.
- Leads by example.
- (Good) listener.
- Knowledgeable.
- Organized.
- Innovative.
- Provide answers and solutions, and don't get stuck on problems.
- An active participant.
- Facilitate discussions and meetings effectively.
- Balanced approach; fair.
- Inspire and motivate.
- (Good) observer.
- Passionate.
- Humble.
- Accessible.
- Kind but firm.
- Facilitate but do not impose.
- Open minds and open doors.
- It's not about you.
- A member of a team.
Results driven:
- Facilitate the vision and self-actualization of others.
- Fulfill social responsibility.
- Guide people to achieve what they need and want.
- Help others by focusing on resolutions.
- Advance the visions of others.
- Facilitate personal and professional development.
- Organizations provide platforms for leadership.
- Service to others and society.
- Help others achieve their dreams.
- Continually improve the organization.
- Mentor.
It's brief, but here's the full article. Click Here
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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, facilitation/training, presenting, 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 am grateful for my good life. If I can help to improve your life, let me know.
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