# Presentation: 370368

## Board Trainingarural practitioner's perspective

- Sheldon Keyser
- Illinois

## Why do board training?  What are the objectives? 

- Discussion

- Boards go through a maturation process and many get better in spite of our efforts, or lack thereof.

## What is the best way to train?

- Classroom or group style?

- Power structure is equally distributed.

## Or?

- One on one?

- Power structure is concentrated.

## Consider

- What you’ve learned in a group setting vs. what you learned in a one on one setting.
- There are many ways in which to provide training—one on one, classroom style, email, letter, telephone, etc.
- Group training may not be the most effective-depends on the issue.
- Understand the power structure and how best to influence it.

## Keyser’s hint for success

- “The best way to sell an idea is to get others to think it was theirs in the first place.  And, the time to introduce ideas is before decisions are made.”

## Some universal truths

- When you’ve met one board, you’ve met one board.
- There is no cookie cutter approach.
- Large boards have different training needs.
- Effective training requires participation.

## True or False?

- “Small boards are preferable to Large boards, they are more effective and can get more accomplished.”

## FALSE!

- Large boards are different; they require different skills.  They can be MORE effective and efficient than small boards..

## Large Boards

- Policy board vs. Operations board
- Conflict
- Committee Structure
- Board member duties and responsibilities
- Mission and vision statement

## Mission Statement

- What is it?
- Where is it?
- Why have one?

## Vision Statement

- What is it?
- Where is it?
- Why have one?

## Get them to think

- Sometimes, big picture issues will spark change and creativity.  It might even create a “learning” board.

## Qualities of Effective Boards 

- Listen objectively to publics
- Reformat reality
- Respect diverse opinions
- Understand how to use volunteers
- Model the action they want to see
- Are genuine
- Build the Spirit of Volunteerism
- Plan with the mission and the end in mind
- Take risks

## Qualities of Ineffective Boards 

- Micro Manage
- Press personal agendas
- Settle for old paradigm thinking
- Give orders
- Plan based on crisis
- Delegate without follow up
- Keep publics in the dark
- Plan without listening to publics

## Why Small Towns Grow or Die

- Growing communities consider controversy a normal part of participatory government while dying towns refuse to address regulations, issues, and the people who made them.
- People in growing towns hold an objective view of politics, while those in dying towns give their loyalty to people over issues.
- Growing towns are willing to tax themselves, while dying towns are not.
- Growing towns have the ability to expand and make room for new members, while dying towns are not willing to share power and certain cliques hold all leadership.
- Growing towns are flexible and disburse community leadership, while dying towns often look to a few key individuals for leadership.
- Cornelia Flora, PhD., Kansas State University

## 9-Keys To Successful Organizations 

- Mission Focused
- Embraces Technology
- Is Value Driven
- Board is well structured and Functions effectively.
- Has a balance between Volunteers and Staff.
- Events have High-Value.
- Financial Prudence
- Political Savvy
- Strong Communication

## How To Kill An Organization 

- Keep the “Sacred Cows” alive.  (That’s the way we’ve always done it.)
- Maintain a “Closed Environment”- insiders club.
- Have no spirit of volunteerism.
- Poor communication, internally and externally.
- Board “does it all” (micro-manages)

## Traditional training agenda.

- See handout

- Now that you’ve seen it, forget that you have.

## Training Purposes

- Educate new board members, bring them in to the fold-sell the vision.
- Bring old board members up to speed.
- Communications-internal and external.
- Conflict.
- Improve and build skills.  Finance, ethics, etc.

## Summary

- Boards are uniquely different and training has to be structured for that group.
- Training may be provided in a variety of ways.
- Know your objectives, create a “learning” board.

- When you get a tiger by the tail, hold on!

## “This board has a good spirit.” Willard Murray, winner of Martin Luther King Jr. community service award. 

- Translation:  Board meetings are fun, we enjoy our work and feel like we are accomplishing something good for the betterment of the region.  Personal interests are set aside.

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