New Directions in Directing is a workshop I'll be presenting at the 7th Australasian Better Boards Conference.
The conference is for executives and directors in the non profit sector and will be held at the Melbourne Convention Center from the 5th to the 7th of July 2013.
To learn more or register click here.
What My Workshop Will Cover
Who should your football team play for?
The board, the members, the fans or all the stakeholders including the opposing teams.
To those who know the game, the answer is the jumper - the history, the culture and the club. The jumper is what great teams play for.
Why then are all our theories of corporate governance based on governing for someone or something else? Why govern for others when directors can direct for the strength, resilience and endurance of their organisation.
New Directions in Directing begins with the game changing idea of sovereignty and logically and systematically builds into a new and practical approach to directing that works:
Step 1: Get Clarity
Organisations are separate legal persons. They are sovereign and owe nothing that is not promised.
Organisations may have a different purpose but they all share a universal objective - to survive and grow in their own right. Measure for:
Strength (S)
Strength is a measure of intrinsic value created by trading through the best possible business model.
Resilience (R)
Resilience is a measure of the organisation's ability to make and keep the best possible promises.
Endurance (E)
Endurance is a measure of strength and resilience.
Step 2: Get Commercial
All organisations (and particularly not for profits) rely on trade and their commercial acumen for S.R.E. Get commercial by:
calling "Stakeholders" what they really are TRADING PARTNERS
exchanging the best possible promises with TRADING PARTNERS
prioritizing TRADING PARTNERS based on their contribution to S.R.E
making the best possible risks
Step 3: Get Beyond the Numbers
Get beyond the numbers by focusing on core assets.
Step 4: Get Perspective
No board can trade blind. Work from business models and trading frameworks then financial models.
Step 5: Get Past Duties
The goal is to direct within the law not too the law.
Step 6: Get a Directorship Team
Boards do not direct alone. They rely on a team made up of the CEO, the executive and others to fulfill their purpose. Everyone knows there is a line that divides the board and management. What we don't realise is that for some of the time they are on the same side of the line and need a plan to work together.
Step 7: Get on Board with Mechanics
All teams needs need team rules. Rules are the mechanics that connect the directorship team to the organisation's S.R.E.
Step 8: Get Strategic Mechanics
Choose the mode of directing and corresponding tasks that will realize the organisation's S.R.E based on the situation at the time.
Step 9: Get Tactical Mechanics
Match team member roles, behaviors and actions to the board's choice of mode and the tasks at hand.
Step 10: Get Fit
Get fit by:
Testing for broken mechanics
Learning and practicing the right mechanics
Step 11: Get Competitive
Get competitive by:
Forgetting most practiced corporate governance
Focusing on S.R.E
Using Mechanics to develop a unique board plan
Building the talent, teamwork and leadership to execute on the board plan.