LUE ENTERPRISES
Life, the Universe, and Everything*
Musings from Linda / LUE-42 Enterprises      Issue #107, January 2020
Welcome to 2020! How was your December?

My December was Art: plays, pageants, movies,  and music. 
My December was Work: paving the way for the same or better in 2020. 
My December was Food: meals, teas, and receptions  shared with friends, clients, and family.
My December was Travel: Red Deer, Calgary, Ontario.  
My December was Family: two batches, two locations, + calls & letters with the rest. 
My December was Gratitude: so many people eased my path and made my expedition more interesting, safe, and fun.
My December was Hope: hope for the coming year and that the people who journey into 2020 also do their best and receive the best.

/lmwe

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier."
-- Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Question: Does (board) size matter?
ANSWER: Size always matters.
          This question never goes away. While I lean towards smaller boards, the answer is always "it depends." 
          According to BoardSource, "The primary guide for determining board size is the board's function, which may change over time." Considerations include board responsibilities, committee structure, legal mandates, organizational lifecycle phase, etc. One could argue that a board with fewer than five directors may be unable to incorporate all the desired qualities/capacity (I agree) and that an exceptionally large board may be unable to engage all directors in a constructive manner (I agree).
            Like all things "board," every option has pros and cons. Large boards can help with workload, provide more perspectives, and (presumably) be more successful at fundraising. But meetings are harder to schedule, directors are more likely to disengage, accountability can slip, and sub-groups can form. Small boards can make for easier scheduling and communication, and people get to know each other (which can lead to greater satisfaction). However, there may not be enough perspectives at the table, heavier workloads lead to faster burnout, and fundraising can be a challenge.
           So what do we do? We consultants always recommend a gap analysis. What attributes and characteristics are present? What do you need? Recruit for the gaps. B oardSource suggests:

Downsizing may be helpful if
  • your board keeps growing without a special effort/decision to do it
  • directors have lost their connection due to volume of peers whom they do not know
  • directors have no other duties but to come to meetings
  • attendance is down due to directors feeling their contributions are not needed
Increasing may be helpful if
  • there is clear burnout in the air - too much is expected of each director
  • your board is missing key expertise that is needed on a regular basis
  • your board is expected to be the organization's main fundraising power and additional contacts and community leaders would advance this objective
  • outside mandates require a certain size
          It can't hurt to ask your board what they think about the size. Is it too small? Too large? Do we have the right people to get the work done? How are the group dynamics?  If your board size is in your bylaws (it should be), ensure that is expressed as a range and not an exact number (assuming your incorporating legislation permits it). Don't forget term limits and make a reasonable attempt at a good rotation model!
10 Gifts for Self Love
As we start a new year, why not introduce some practices that help you take care of you. I like these by Haripriya Suraj. She says,  "Self-love is something that many of us have learned the hard way."

1. Give yourself at least ten minutes of quiet "me time" when you wake up every morning. 

2. Hug yourself often and say, "I love you." It does not matter if this feels fake at first. 

3. Nourish your body with nutritious food, restful sleep, and a form of exercise that resonates with you.

4. Nourish/protect your mental body. Reduce or eliminate the influence of gossip, drama, and sensationalism.

5. Nurture your emotional body. Hono(u)r your emotions: positive and negative.

6. Make time for your soul. Work toward bringing healing and balance to unhealed areas of your life.

7. Make time for your passions and soul-callings. Do what delights your heart and lifts your spirit.

8. Treat yourself to a pleasurable activity at least once a month.

9. Ask for help from others when required. Outsource some things.

10. Draw clear and reasonable energetic boundaries with respect to your time and space, and with how you allow yourself to be treated.

Good luck and be well. 
Shout Out to s ome people who made my life better in December:
Reid Bergman, Erica Brown, Jonathan Crane, Patricia Darbasie, Janis Dowe, Louise & Randy Duncan, Brian Edwards, Liz Garratt, Cam Heslep, Helena Hill, Marilyn Hooper, Sue Huff, Julia Kopala, Sue Kruszewski, Lynn MacAskill, Sherrill Macgilvray, Jeff Mawson, Gerald Osborn, Scott Paterson, Louise Reinich, Ethel Thorne, Mary Anne Trann, Judy Stelck, Mike Stringer, Ralph Suppa, Gerry West, Lil West, Derek Wymer, My Family (yes, all of them)
"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."
- Jane Howard
Links We Like

 

10 Resolutions You Might Keep (They said might keep)

Personal Liability of Directors (Solid article uses plain language)

"Moral Equivalency" of YouTube (Fascinating interview with CEO)
Identify the Space Movie from a Single Screen Shot (63% for me)

20 Memorable Moments of 21st Century So Far (U.S. slant but interesting)

What Happens Right Before Your Best Employee Quits (Article from LinkedIn)

Take Control of Your Overflowing Inbox (Good suggestions from VitalSmarts)
Mathematicians Solve "42" Problem (For fans of 42 and other nerds like me)

10 Best Picture Books With Cats (But it's missing Skippyjon Jones!)

Do We Really Need 10,000 Steps a Day? (Probably not)
 

Wish I'd Said That

"Put blinders on to those things that conspire to hold you back,
especially the ones in your own head ." - Meryl Streep








Instead of asking, "How are you?", Ralph Waldo Emmerson reputedly asked people, "What has become clear since our last meeting?" I read an interesting article about motivation related to that quote (here), but my takeaway is really just the question. What if we started our board meetings like this? I suspect we'd get useful answers. I'm going to give it a try.

 LUE-42 Enterprises

* with fond acknowledge to Douglas Adams and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
LUE-42 Enterprises
lue42@shaw.ca
http://www.lue42.com