General Management

Lead

If you have built castles in the air your work need not be lost;
that is where they should be. Now put the foundation under them.
-- Henry David Thoreau

The Challenge

The Executive Director and Executive Committee of this inter-faith peace and justice advocacy group knew that the rest of the board had disengaged. Moreover, they weren’t quite clear themselves about the direction the organization was taking or needed to take. Where should the conversation start? Who should be involved? Which was the track upon which they should be moving toward their collective future?

The Response

Sensing the confusion, what was clear was the need for some clarification of mission and vision before anything else. Putting forward these twin questions directly, first in conversations with individual senior staff and board members and later in guided group discussions, it soon became apparent that three different conceptualizations of the agency were operating simultaneously. To be effective, the leadership needed to make some tough decisions.

…And that is precisely what happened. Weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each of the options before them, the Executive Committee and senior staff reached a clear and compelling consensus about the mission and vision of the agency going forward and they are now all headed in one and the same direction.

The Outcome

The agency has a strategic plan based on a sound understanding of their mission and vision. A board development plan is guiding the recruiting process for new board members. And a board training program is designed to orient new and veteran members alike in how to fulfill their governance function most effectively.