Services

Boards On Course offers comprehensive customized board assessment, consultation, training, and coaching services to assist boards of directors implement and fine-tune structural and process changes to be the best governing boards they can be.  Boards On Course has broad-based expertise in board governance with specialized expertise in the Policy Governance® (Carver Governance) model of board operations.  Boards On Course also has extensive experience in group dynamics, team-building, and team-oriented performance improvement processes.

Individualized Board Assessment

Policy Governance®

Workshops for All Boards

Policy Governance® Services (for boards wishing to explore and/or implement Policy Governance®)

  • Individualized Board Assessment
  • Brief Overview of the Policy Governance® Model
  • Fuller Exploration of the Policy Governance® Model Applied to Your Board
  • Development of a Plan Customized for Your Board for Implementing Policy Governance®
  • Customized Consultation, Training, and Coaching for Guiding and Supporting the Implementation and Fine-Tuning of Policy Governance® Practice at Your Board

Assessment methods can include personal interviews with board members and CEO, a board self-assessment survey of board members, and consultant review of board written materials such as bylaws, mission, and vision statements, board meeting agendas, minutes and other relevant documents identified by your board.

Two board self-assessment surveys can be found in the Resources section of this website.  One survey is appropriate for all boards who wish to identify opportunities to enhance their board performance.  The other survey is for boards practicing the Policy Governance(R) model who wish to assess their fidelity to the Policy Governance(R) model and identify opportunities to fine-tune their practice of the model.

Brief Overview of the Policy Governance® Model. 

(2 to 3 hours)  An overview of the powerful ten principles of the Policy Governance® board operating system and how this system compares to other approaches to governance.  This session can serve as an orientation session for new board members as well as a refresher course for experienced board members.  It also serves as a basic introduction to Policy Governance® for anyone interested in good governance.

Boards On Course

2-3 Hour Board Training Sessions

 

Enhance your board's functioning.  Meet requirements for board continuing education.  Enrich your Board Retreat.

 

  1. NEW!!! Governing as Serving:  The Effective Caring Board.  An exploration of the provocative, challenging, and inspiring concept of Servant Leadership and its application to the boardroom.  This pivotal concept originated with Robert Greenleaf and has been soundly praised by leadership experts such as Warren Bennis, Stephen Covey, Ken Blanchard, Peter Senge and others.  Servant Leader boards and board members are driven to promote the wellbeing of all persons impacted by them and their organizations, such as owners, customers/clients, employees, vendors, board members and the community at large.  They embrace a caring and effective governing style.

 

  1. NEW!!! Better Boardroom Discussions/Better Boardroom Decisions.  This interactive session provides your board with tools and techniques to engage all of your board members in boardroom discussions, to manage conflict constructively, and to encourage generative (creative) boardroom thinking.

 

  1. Excellent Board Governance.  An overview of board governance and principles and best practices for excellent board governance.

 

  1. Exploration of the Principles of the Policy Governance® Model of Board Operations.  An overview of the ten powerful principles of the Policy Governance® model that promote effective, efficient, accountable board governance.  Boards will have enough information to decide whether to proceed to implement the comprehensive Policy Governance® system or to incorporate one or more of its principles into their current governance practice.

 

  1. The Accountable Board.  In this session, board members gain an understanding of ownership linkage.  Your board identifies its organization's owners, that is, those key stakeholders on whose behalf the board governs and to whom the board is accountable and begins developing a plan for ongoing two-way communication between your board and your organization's owners.  While ownership linkage is an essential component of the Policy Governance® system, this workshop is appropriate for all boards who wish to be engaged with the community of persons on whose behalf they govern and to whom they are accountable.

 

  1. The Results-Driven Board.  In this session, board members gain an understanding of Ends Policy development and Ends monitoring.  Your board learns how to develop board policies that define your organization's purpose, your organization's reason for existence, in terms of specific benefits or results your board is to achieve in the lives of the people it serves.  Such policies do not focus on activities or services to be provided by your organization but the actual intended differences to be effected in people's lives.  Board members learn how measureable indicators are identified for each outcome to be achieved and how organization performance is monitored with respect to these indicators.  While Ends policy development and monitoring of Ends achievement are essential components of the Policy Governance® system, this workshop is for all boards who would like to define the differences they wish their organizations to make in people's lives and ensure that those desired impacts are being achieved.

Board Performance Improvement Services (for all boards)

  • Individualized Board Assessment
  • Identification of Opportunities for Board Performance Improvement at Your Board
  • Development of Plans for Board Performance Improvement Initiatives at Your Board
  • Customized Consultation, Training, and Coaching for Implementing Board Performance Improvement Initiatives at Your Board

Exploration of the Policy Governance® Model. 

(half day or full day)  A didactic and experiential review of the powerful principles of the Policy Governance® board operating system and the application of these principles to your specific board.  Information provided during the session is sufficient to enable boards to decide if they wish to proceed to implement the Policy Governance® system.  To aid with customizing of the workshop, it is recommended that your board complete the board self-assessment survey of board members prior to the workshop.

Policy Development Session.  

(One full day but may be longer as needed) At this session, with consultant facilitation, a core policy manual is developed specifically by your board for your board.  Policies developed include Executive Limitations policies, Governance Process policies, and Board-Management Delegation policies.  Typically, Ends policies are not developed at this time but Ends policy development may begin if the Policy Development Session lasts longer than one day.

Post-Implementation Services. 

After implementation of your board’s new policy manual, customized consultant assistance includes on-site and off-site coaching and on-site workshops available to assist your board with the following:  Ends policy development, CEO measureable interpretations of board policies, CEO monitoring reports, development of an ownership linkage plan, fine-tuning of the board’s practice of the Policy Governance® model and its engagement in creative future-focused board dialogue.

Other Services.

If your board does not wish to fully implement the Policy Governance® board operating system at this time, customized consultation, training, and coaching services are available to assist your board identify and implement structural and process changes to improve the effectiveness of board operations and to promote creative future-focused board dialogue.