Sherry S. Jennings, MSc, Wallace Wilkins, PhD, and Robert J Ballantyne lead a program for non-profit executive directors and board chairs
September 24 & 25, 2015
Pacific Tower Panoramic Center, Seattle
Register: 501Commons-Online
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This 2-day, highly collaborative and interactive workshop with a small group of participants will help you explore how to develop a strong relationship between the executive and board chair. The success of this relationship sets the tone and culture for a high performance board that inspires and empowers the executive and staff. Working with other executives and board chairs, you will work through case studies and scenarios that will help you learn practical methods for managing board dynamics.
Who should attend?
This is a program designed for the two-person team. The CEO/ED should register with your current board chair or with a board member who will be assuming the board chair or presidency in the future.
Key benefits
As a result of this workshop executives and board chairs will be better able to:
- Determine your dominant leadership style and learn how to adapt your style to situations
- Distinguish between the board and management role
- Resolve and prevent conflicts
- Create a positive & supportive board culture
- Develop tools & skills for listening to your community so you can identify the need addressed by your organization
- Focus the whole organization on what it must achieve
- Develop tools for the board to monitor organizational performance
What will be covered?
Over the two day workshop you will be able to forge a powerful, effective, and accountable relationship between the executive and the board chair. You will learn to evaluate your leadership and communication styles and establish mechanisms for communication between the executive and chair. The workshop with also help you distinguish board and management roles, determine who is responsible for vision and strategy, prepare efficiently for meetings, and plan an annual board agenda.
This workshop combines a clear governance theory with practices that organizations of all sizes can implement, including an annual board agenda that creates a forward-thinking board, rather than one focused on reacting to the current situation. You will also learn how to make the executive’s evaluation a fair, objective and rigorous ongoing process rather
than an annual “event.”
Recommended practices will include effective group techniques and ways to create an environment for open dialogue and learning. These approaches can engage the board’s creativity and capacity for innovation.
Other topics covered during the workshop are:
- Creating a positive, supportive board team culture
- Focusing the whole organization on what it must achieve
- Tools for the board to monitor organizational performance
- Developing resilience in stressful times
- Evaluating leadership and communication styles – your personal style and the style of others
- Resolving and preventing conflicts
Program Leaders
Robert J. Ballantyne, Sherry S. Jennings, MSc, and Wallace Wilkins, PhD lead this program. Robert and Sherry are governance and management professionals with extensive experience as nonprofit executives and board leaders. Wallace Wilkins serves as leadership coach, conflict mediator and organizational advisor. Wally speaks and writes about powerful strategies for individuals and organizations to create low-stress, low-conflict, high achievement relationships.