Changing a Board of Trustees
From Futile
to Fertile
William G. McGinnis
Existing Governing Board Climate
1. Dysfunctional
2. Varies between Functional
and Dysfunctional
3. Functional Most of the
Time
4. Varies between Functional
and High Performing
5. High Performing
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0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Common Signs of Dysfunction
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Adverse Conflict / Divided Board
Lack of Trust
Lack of Respect
Single Issue Focus
Political Connections / Ambitions
Micromanagement
Disengagement
Does your Board have other issues that adversely
impacts their performance?
1. Yes
2. No
50%
50%
Yes
No
Impacts of a Dysfunctional (Futile)
Trustee Board
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Lack of vision for the college
Frequent turnover in CEO position
Accreditation problems
Audit / Financial problems
Criminal problems
Employee Activism / Labor Strife
Law suits
Poor student success
Steps for Improvement
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Restructure Governing Board Agenda
Cultivate a Board focus on Vision / Future
Build / establish trust
Communicate appropriately
Facilitate Board accountability
Expand Board’s role to leadership
Provide opportunities for thoughtful
reflection & discussion
Board Agenda Issues
• Agenda Format management
• Educate Board members on agenda format
and issues
• Develop focused issued-centered agendas
• Connect issues to vision / mission /
strategic plan goals
What Percentage of your Board’s agendas for the past
year have been allocated to discussing the vision and/or
strategic plan of your college?
0%
Le
ss
20
th
an
to
20
40
%
%
0%
%
60
ee
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et
w
B
B
et
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40
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B
0%
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80
%
80
n
th
a
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e
0%
%
0%
M
1. More than 80%
2. Between 60 to
80%
3. Between 40 to
60%
4. Between 20 to
40%
5. Less than 20%
How much time is spent at each Board meeting on Report Items
(when the Board receives written and verbal reports from others)?
– Less than 30
minutes
– Between 30 minutes
to 1 hour
– Between 1 hour and
2 hours
– Between 2 hours
and 3 hours
rs
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Le
– More than 3 hours
te
s
m
in
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te
s
0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Traditional Agenda
•
•
Opening
Reports
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
Financial Agenda
–
–
–
•
Appointments
Dismissals
Retirements
Labor Relations
Benefits Report
Action Agenda
–
–
•
•
Approval of Expenditures
Approval of Transfers
Approval of Contracts
Personnel Agenda
–
–
–
–
–
•
Faculty Senate
Classified Senate
Students
President
Public Comment
Trustee Reports
Resolution authorizing signatures on accounts
Course Approval
Executive Session on litigation
Adjournment
Leadership Agenda Format
• Opening
• Consent Agenda
–
–
–
–
Financial Items
Personnel Items
Resolution on signatures
Resolution on course approvals
• Public Comment
• Action / Board Discussion Agenda
– Future Financial Goals
– Proposed College/K-12 partnership for student success
• Executive Session on Litigation
• Adjournment
Focus on Vision
• Build consensus
• Develop a common vision / mission
• Manage discussions to overall arching
issues
• Focus on “what” not the “how”
• Tie agenda issues to vision / mission.
• Talk about the future
Has your Board participated in any trust building
exercises since it was formed?
1. Yes
2. No
50%
50%
Yes
No
Build & Maintain Trust
• Create an environment in which trust can
be developed and maintained
• Board Chair’s role in maintaining a
respectful meeting to maintain levels of trust
• Build consensus rather than scoring wins
• Communicate openly and honestly
• Focus on the future
Has your administration identified the style or manner i
which each Trustees prefers to communicate
1. Yes
2. No
50%
50%
Yes
No
Communication
•
•
•
•
Open and timely information
Lack of surprises
Communicate in the form the listeners need
Sufficient / not too much / not to little –
information
• Benchmarks – leading and lagging
Which of the following is completed annually by
your Board?
1. Board self-evaluation,
establishment of Board Goals,
and periodic discussions on
the agenda throughout the
year such goals
2. Board self-evaluation and
establishment of Board Goals
3. Board self-evaluation
4. None of the above
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Accountability Issue
• Focus Board attention on issues affecting
Vision / Mission / Strategic Plan
• Measures that are tied to vision / mission /
strategic plan goals
• Leading / lagging indicators
• Scorecards / Dashboards
• Establish Board Goals
• Facilitate Board Self-Evaluation & Follow up
Has your Board identified any leading indicators
that can be used to measure student success?
1. Yes
2. No
50%
50%
Yes
No
Sample Benchmarks
• Transfer Rate to Universities
• Placement in desired occupations
• Success of 1st yr students in English &
Math
• Student Engagement survey
• Efficiency Rating of Student Enrollment
• Facility Condition Index
• Community Survey
Expand Board’s Role
• Fiduciary Role / Activities
• Strategic Role / Activities
• Leadership Role / Activities
• Percent of work in each area
• Restructure in the future
Time to Discuss / Lead
• Open certain meetings to discussion /
leadership activities
• Create an environment conducive to
discussions
• Manage conflict to remain constructive
• Create visions of “what” not focus on
“how”
What is the most important major issue facing your
College today that requires the Board’s attention?
1. Long term finances
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0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Lo
2. Employee Turnover
& Replacement
3. Improving Student
Success
4. Improving student
participation
5. Other
How frequently has or will your Board discuss this
major issue?
1. Every Board
Meeting
2. Once a Quarter
3. Twice a year in
retreats
4. Once a year –
maybe
5. Never
Ev
y
er
Bo
d
ar
e
M
in
et
O
0%
0%
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Ne
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Benefits of a Fertile Board
• Attracts high performing administrators
• Creates an environment of trust conducive
of change
• Creates an environment focused on the
future supportive of innovation
• Creates a community climate of respect for
the college
• Leads to student success
How to Start
• Help the Board build trust
– Among their members
– Between the Board and the CEO
• Change the Agenda
– Less Wasted time
– Fewer Fiduciary matters
– More time for Leadership
Maintain Performance
• Thru Board Retreats review Board
Performance
• Hold Board training whenever a new
member is seated
• Board Chair to hold members accountable
• Revisit Board commitment when necessary
QUESTIONS
Conclusion
• From Futile to Fertile, as in Farming,
the role of the farmer whose success is
directly affected by his knowledge of
the impacts of his stewardship of the
environment; the success of our
colleges is directly connected to their
Boards’ knowledge of the impacts of
their stewardship of the institutions.