What are the key components of a board development plan and how do you monitor and evaluate its progress?

A board development plan includes assessing current board composition and skills, defining goals, recruiting strategies, orientation, training, and succession planning. To monitor and evaluate progress, establish clear metrics, regular reviews, and feedback loops. Assess your current board by analyzing skills gaps, engagement levels, and diversity. Regular evaluations, surveys, and performance against set objectives help ensure continuous improvement and alignment with organizational needs.

Too many boards continue to rely on closed networks and often come from the same sector, e.g. a non-profit in the medical fields has got a majority of board members with a medical or pharmaceutical background. This is not necessarily intentional, rather not given the necessary attention once in place. Too many boards also have long-standing board members. A good start would be a board audit or board matrix assessing all board members on surface and deep level diversity, length of board service, etc. to get a good picture. This can be further enhanced by board member performance review. Do they engage, do they participate in board meetings on a regular basis, do they come to the board meetings prepared, etc.

Conduct a board self-assessment. This can be done through a survey, interview, or other evaluation form. Board members can assess their own skills and competencies, as well as the overall effectiveness of the whole board. Request feedback from stakeholders. Gathering feedback from stakeholders such as staff, donors, and new and existing board members can help identify areas where the board can improve. Conduct a skills audit. Determine which specific skill sets and expertise current board members bring to the board and compare those with the skills and expertise necessary for your organization to succeed. This can help identify a specific area, like finance, IT, or marketing, where your board could improve.

> create a board development maturity model with defined levels (e.g., initial, developing, established, advanced, leading) and assess the progress of the board's development > Conduct a comprehensive board assessment to establish a baseline > prepare a detailed board development plan with clear objectives, timelines, and responsibilities > establish specific metrics for each perspective in the balanced scorecard for board development > creating a board development committee or assign responsibility to a committee that already exists (e.g., the Nominating and Governance Committee) > develop individual development plans aligned with the overall goals of the board

Review the board’s compliance with legal and ethical standards. This is crucial to maintain trust and credibility. Ensure that the board's work is aligned with the organization's strategic goals. This alignment is critical for the board to effectively guide and support the organization. Evaluate the diversity of your board in terms of gender, ethnicity, age, professional background, and other aspects. Diverse boards tend to be more innovative and better at problem-solving. Map the skills of current board members against the strategic needs of the organization. Consider the interpersonal dynamics and culture within the board. Understanding how board members interact and work together is key to assessing overall board effectiveness.

Como resultado de los procesos regulares de evaluación de desempeño de la junta tanto a nivel individual como colectivo es posible identificar las necesidades de desarrollo de la junta. Esto puede incluir habilidades faltantes, conocimientos específicos, diversidad de perspectivas entre otros A partir de ello se podrán establecerse los objetivos y metas para el desarrollo de la junta, por ejemplo: mejora de la gobernanza, fortalecimiento de habilidades individuales o promoción de la diversidad Y a partir de ello, se puede proceder a desarrollar programas de formación y desarrollo adaptados a las necesidades identificadas. Estos programas pueden incluir talleres, capacitaciones, sesiones informativas y otras actividades educativas.

In my experience, a lot of boards do not have clear goals and priorities for their role as a board. This leads to ineffective and inefficient use of board time as well as gaps in governance, poor risk management and chaotic strategy development.

Set clear board goals aligned with your organization's vision. Use SMART criteria for specificity and realism. Whether it's boosting diversity, refining governance, or elevating fundraising, these objectives should resonate with board members and stakeholders. It's not just about goals; it's about strategic alignment, ensuring the board propels the organization toward its long-term vision.

identificar objetivos claros, mensuráveis e alinhados à missão da organização. Estabeleça metas realistas, priorize iniciativas-chave e assegure-se de que os membros do conselho estejam engajados na realização desses objetivos. Regularmente avalie e ajuste as metas para garantir relevância e eficácia.

Defining board goals and priorities is not merely a procedural step; it is a transformative opportunity to align leadership with the organization’s vision. By employing SMART criteria, boards can create a roadmap that not only enhances governance but also drives impactful change. Emphasizing diversity and strategic fundraising can unlock new perspectives and resources, fostering resilience and innovation. In an era where agility is paramount, these goals should be revisited regularly to ensure they remain relevant and responsive to the evolving landscape. Lead with purpose and vision, and watch your board become a catalyst for sustainable success.

In my experience, many boards do not plan for succession. It’s easy to settle into the current board and the current work, but don’t lose sight of the board member pipeline. I think every board should have a board development committee that focuses on recruiting and onboarding new members. Even if your roster is full, the committee should always be looking for prospects and keeping the pipeline open. This is a hallmark of a solid recruitment strategy.

The majority of boards, in the UK up to 70%, rely on closed networks and word-of-mouth and not opening up the recruitment process. It would also be helpful to stick to a rigorous rotation schedule where approx. a third of board members rotate off after one or two periods, incl. the board chair. Having a dedicated team on the board that evaluates board performance, diversity audit and skills gap is also helpful as is to give the recruitment and onboarding of new outside board members the necessary attention. Have a board buddy system in place for first time board members. A board away day dedicated to strategy planning and board training is also good practice.

Craft a board profile outlining desired characteristics and skills. Develop a board matrix to pinpoint gaps and opportunities in demographics, expertise, and networks. Utilize referrals, outreach, and advertising for diverse board recruitment. Implement a robust orientation and training program to align new members with mission, values, and procedures. It's not just about recruitment; it's about fostering a dynamic board culture that retains and empowers members for sustained impact.

An exercise I've done previously with a leadership team is a 'lessons learnt' on their worst and best senior hires. At this level, poor hiring choices can have a huge impact on the business. Unfortunately, senior individuals often don't follow due process and refuse to be led by HR so a facilitated lessons learned session can help them identify the weaknesses for themselves.

Para desenvolver uma estratégia eficaz de retenção de conselheiros, priorize o entendimento das necessidades individuais por meio de avaliações periódicas. Ofereça oportunidades contínuas de desenvolvimento profissional, reconhecendo publicamente as contribuições dos conselheiros para que se sintam valorizados. Promova um ambiente inclusivo e diversificado, estabelecendo metas claras e mantendo uma comunicação aberta. Implemente programas de mentoria para facilitar a colaboração entre membros experientes e novos, e respeite o equilíbrio entre vida profissional e pessoal dos conselheiros.

There are different ways to do this. The more traditional way would be to do an annual performance audit using a matrix including attendance, preparedness, engagement in committees, taking on representative roles outside of the board room. This can be supported by a self-evaluation & including open ended questions addressing future board meetings. Poor board performance is often coupled with underlying dissatisfaction by board members about their roles and unclear communications about responsibilities & expectations, or feelings of not being heard, particularly for new board members. Here, it can be helpful to engage a skilled mediator to solve tensions and build cohesion among the board. Strong board, strong strategy, strong organization!

This is important and rarely happens. It takes strong board and staff leadership. It starts with the Chair's commitment to transparent processes.

Establish clear expectations for board members regarding attendance, participation, contribution, and advocacy. Implement tools like dashboards and feedback forms for ongoing monitoring and measurement of board progress. Regular self-evaluation and peer assessment uncover strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. Solicit feedback from various stakeholders to comprehensively assess the board's impact. It's not just about evaluation; it's about fostering a culture of continuous improvement, ensuring the board effectively contributes to organizational goals.

It can be difficult to get a complete picture of how everyone is doing. For exec directors, 360 reviews are a must. For non-Exec Directors in particular there should be criteria around contribution and attendance because there are a lot of people 'badge-collecting' without adding value. And at the board level, we need to bear in mind that this should also likely include external stakeholders.

Para estabelecer um sistema de avaliação eficaz para conselheiros, inicie definindo critérios alinhados às responsabilidades e metas do conselho. Desenvolva métricas mensuráveis para cada critério, permitindo avaliações objetivas. Realize avaliações periódicas, incorporando feedback 360 graus de colegas, equipe e stakeholders externos. Estabeleça metas individuais alinhadas aos objetivos organizacionais e encoraje autoavaliações. Promova reuniões específicas para fornecer feedback construtivo e adapte continuamente o sistema para refletir as mudanças nas metas da organização. Esse sistema abrangente permite avaliar o desempenho dos conselheiros, reconhecendo conquistas e identificando áreas para aprimoramento.

This is a great addition to any board planning. Probably the most challenging part here is setting up and collecting any data we might need to assess impact and effectiveness. Establishing the vision of the board and a shared definition of value creation in relation to this can help to give the guidelines for further steps like data collection.

Para aprimorar o plano de desenvolvimento de conselheiros, comece atualizando a análise de necessidades para garantir alinhamento com as demandas atuais. Refine as metas, tornando-as mais específicas e mensuráveis, facilitando a avaliação do progresso. Desenvolva programas mais personalizados, considerando as habilidades individuais, e integre elementos inovadores, como treinamentos interativos e plataformas digitais. Introduza avaliações de impacto para medir diretamente a contribuição das atividades de desenvolvimento para o desempenho global. Estabeleça um sistema de feedback contínuo e inclua elementos explícitos de diversidade e inclusão, promovendo representatividade no conselho.

Para fortalecer ainda mais o plano de desenvolvimento de conselheiros, considere aspectos-chave. Avalie competências essenciais, incluindo habilidades técnicas e interpessoais. Integre atividades para desenvolver liderança estratégica e promover colaboração efetiva entre conselheiros. Prepare-os para adaptarem-se a mudanças, incluindo cenários imprevisíveis, e promova resiliência diante de desafios. Incentive a participação em comunidades profissionais e estabeleça um processo contínuo de avaliação de desempenho. Desenvolva habilidades de comunicação e promova a integração de sucessores, garantindo uma transição suave.