From “Hi” Performing Boards to High-Performing Boards Siri Akal Khalsa, Ed.D. Executive Director Northwest Association of Independent Schools

The Three Duties of Trust Duty of Due Care: Active participation, reasonable inquiry Duty of Loyalty: Promote the School’s public purpose, not private interests Duty of Obedience: Be familiar with the by-laws, and local, state and federal regulations governing the school’s operations

“Governance… …is deciding what’s important, what it means, and what to do about it.” --Dick Chait

Mission and Vision Are Always At The Heart Of Great Governance Why this unique school exists Vision Where we will be in 3-5 years Strategic Development How our continuous planning will get us to our vision LR Financial Planning How we will secure the resources we need Annual Plan What the school will focus on this year, according to the strategic plan

Hallmarks of Effective Boards Has clarity of roles & responsibilities Focuses time and attention on important issues Restructures Board Work to get things done Views board composition as strategic Uses evaluation to learn rather than criticize Has the confidence to take risks Has constructive relationship with head and school staff Has open and honest communication Works together as an effective corporate unit

We live in “A VUCA world on Steroids” --Johansen & Ronn, The Reciprocity Advantage However unpredictable the environment, a Board’s responsibility is to make sure the School is around and flourishing for its grandchildren. Boards to work from a new understanding of VUCA “Volatility demands Vision” “Uncertainty requires Understanding” “Complexity gives way to Clarity” “Ambiguity calls for Agility”

The Leadership Dilemma “You can’t put those in charge of tomorrow who are also in charge of today because… …the urgent always overtakes the important.”

Our Schools Need Leadership That Transforms “Leadership is the ability “to create the possibility of a future that isn’t going to happen otherwise, and enroll others into taking action to fulfill that future.” Ivan Rosenberg

Partnership Model Three areas of collaborative work defined Fiduciary – stewardship of tangible assets Strategic – set priorities and future course Generative – identify emerging trends to insure the school’s future Strategic plans, no. Strategic mindsets, yes. Heads & Boards work to achieve the new “3 Rs”: Raise great kids Raise the reputation of the school Raise lots of money

Top Characteristics of High-Performing Boards A shared understanding of roles and responsibilities A strong strategic orientation—focusing on the decisions that need to be made to secure the school’s future A culture of self-assessment, accountability, and open and honest communication, no matter how brutal the facts Strategic board member recruitment and development An effective structure for efficiency, development, and innovation Conviction, clarity, courage Commitment both to preserving core values and making progress

Twelve Principles of Governance That Power Exceptional Boards Twelve Principles of Governance That Power Exceptional Boards* *Excerpted from The Source published by BoardSource Constructive Partnership Mission Driven Strategic Thinking Culture of Inquiry Independent-Mindedness Ethos of Transparency Compliance with Integrity Sustaining Resources Results-Oriented Intentional Board Practices Continuous Learning Revitalization

Our Boards’ Shared Mission is to Create Great Schools “A great organization must meet three tests. It has to have superior results relative to its particular mission. It has to have a distinctive impact, which means if it went away it would leave an unfillable hole. A distinctive impact doesn’t mean it has to be big. An organization or school can be small and great. It just needs to be distinctive - so distinctive that people would truly miss it if it disappeared. The third quality is lasting endurance - endurance not only through multiple cycles but also through multiple generations of leadership.” Jim Collins, author, Good to Great