Board Shorts Podcast

Most aspiring and emerging board members would describe themselves as a high performer. If you’re listening to this podcast, I would suspect that you would lean more towards high performing than not. All this to say, this episode is for you if you’re an aspiring board member (whether you want to join your first board, or you’re looking to take the step up to larger organisations, more sophisticated Boards, or into a paid board role).  My dear friend, Mark Gregory, has spent many years of his career working with high-performers like you; supporting them to transition into roles that they aspire to be in, whether as a student looking for their first career move, an elite athlete transitioning into life after sport, or supporting a seasoned professional into their next career evolution. I invited him onto the Board Shorts Podcast to talk about the process he uses to help people ‘see the label from inside the jar’, as he puts it. Like most of our conversations, we like to break up the seriousness with the occasional joke or segue into a totally different topic. Nonetheless, Mark always brings us back to the main point and makes it clear with colourful stories and analogies that we can all relate to.   About Mark Gregory From a foundation in the UK Banking / Finance sector, with forays into Outdoor Pursuits and Expedition Training, his experience is strongly focused on the assessment and development of both individuals and groups. Since arriving in Australia, in 1996, Mark has developed links across community and commercial networks, assisting and managing a range of innovative programs. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology), from Flinders University, Mark is able to draw from robust frameworks whilst reflecting on extensive workplace experience. His Career Development roles continue his passion for navigating individuals through career decisions, ensuring they have tools and resources tailored to their chosen field. Working across high school and tertiary contexts gives Mark a full understanding of education and employment pathways, in a complex and dynamic labour market. Supporting Students from equity groups provided an opportunity to collaborate with both student support services and Employers. Since 2015 Mark has supported over 250 elite Athletes across two Olympic/Paralympic cycles, a home Commonwealth Games, and multiple World Championships.

Where do I find the right people for my NFP Board?  How do I build a Board that is generous? Why can’t I find any good Board Members? I often hear these questions from exasperated not-for-profit leaders, Chairs, and Board Members.  It turns out that there is a better way to define, find, and recruit non-profit Board Members and Sabrina Walker Hernandez is an expert on this topic. She has previously been on the Board Shorts Podcast, and I invited her back to speak about finding the right people for your NFP Board. This conversation with Sabrina covers all facets of defining and finding the right board members for your not-for-profit board, including how to switch-on Board Member giving, how to best recruit future Board Members to ensure generosity with their time, talent, and treasure, and the CEO and Chairs’ responsibility when it comes to building and maintaining a giving culture on the Board.  This is a short but jam-packed conversation with lots of takeaways for NFP leaders and Board Members. Grab your notebook or notes app and settle into this conversation with Sabrina Walker Hernandez. About Sabrina As a consultant and coach, Sabrina specializes in helping small businesses and nonprofits thrive by fostering meaningful relationships that directly impact revenue growth. Using the B.U.I.L.D. framework, Sabrina specializes in strategic planning, leadership retreats, board development, staff empowerment, and resource optimization. Her track record includes consistently delivering a remarkable 30% increase in revenue for the organizations that she works with.  She is a bestselling author with over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and leadership. Among her successes is that she increased operation revenue from $750K to $2.5M and completed a $12M comprehensive capital campaign in the 3rd poorest county in the United States. She has facilitated numerous workshops with hundreds of nonprofit and business professionals. She is certified in Nonprofit Management by Harvard Business School.   Links Mentioned in this Episode Sabrina’s Website | Supporting World Hope Sabrina on LinkedIn Optimising your NFP Board with Sabrina Walker Hernandez | Ep. 59

Emotional intelligence encompasses a set of skills that enable individuals to recognize, understand, and manage their own emotions and the emotions of others. Current thinking points to emotional intelligence (or, EQ) as being more important for leaders than raw intelligence (or, IQ) alone. In the Boardroom, the soft skills or EQ skills that the individual Board Members bring are critical to Board performance. They make the difference between an OK Board (one where the individuals may bring high IQs and low EQs) and a great Board (where individuals bring a power mix of IQ and EQ and use them to reach high-quality decisions).  How and why Boards can benefit from its members and the Board as a collective having greater emotional intelligence has been revealed in the recently-published book ‘Leading with Emotional Intelligence: a guide for Board Directors’. The author of that book Sanela Osmic is my latest podcast guest. Sanela is the founder and Managing Director of Ethical Governance, helping organisations cultivate a culture of ethics and ensure sustainable success. Sanela’s journey from Bosnia to global impact, is one of triumph over adversity, culminating in her unwavering commitment to creating meaningful change in communities worldwide. With nearly twenty years of professional experience across multiple industries (including finance, professional services, disability, government and education), Sanela recognised the critical role that good governance plays in the success of an organisation. Over the years, Sanela has served on a number of Boards and committees, and has worked as a consultant and educator in the governance space. Her book, ‘Leading with Emotional Intelligence: a guide for Board Directors’ provides practical advice on how Boards can develop and use emotional intelligence to navigate difficult situations, build stronger relationships, and make better decisions. My conversation with Sanela gets into the heart of emotional intelligence in the Boardroom setting, clarifying what it is and what it isn’t, the five elements of emotional intelligence (starting with Self Awareness), how we can avoid false harmony and use emotion to reach better decisions as a group, the role each of us plays as individuals to contribute to a highly emotionally-intelligent culture, and, importantly, the role of the Chair in leading with emotional intelligence. 

You’re listening to episode 81 part two of the a-z of corporate governance, covering N-Z. Hopefully you caught episode 80 where I covered A-M. This is the second part of the list. As I mentioned in episode 80, the idea for this series came about because of the frequent questions I am asked about various aspects of boards and corporate governance. To many people, the world of boards and governance seems to be opaque and closed off, where language is used as a way to keep people away from wanting to get into this level of corporate leadership.   So, we’re busting through this particular corporate veil by providing a non-exhaustive list of definitions of various aspects of corporate governance and board life, working our way through the A-Z of corporate governance. This episode covers N-Z, and episode 80 covered A-M. Let’s get into our NOPs… https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/the-a-z-of-corporate-governance-n-to-z-ep-81/

I am frequently asked about the meaning of various board and corporate governance terms. To many people, this part of business seems to be opaque and closed off, using language as a way to keep people away from wanting to get into this level of corporate leadership. So, I’m here to help bust through this particular corporate veil by providing a non-exhaustive list of definitions of various aspects of corporate governance and board life, working our way through the A-Z of corporate governance. This episode will cover A-M, and episode 81 will cover N-Z (getting interesting when we get to W, X, Y, and Z!).  Let’s start our ABCs of corporate governance…   Links Mentioned in this Episode Article: Corporate Governance Defined: Not So Easy By James McRitchie for CorpGov.net   Book: Directors at Work: A Practical Guide for Boards By Kiel, Nicholson, Tunny, and Beck

A recent conversation with an aspiring board member inspired me to capture my thoughts on this topic on the podcast. The focus of the conversation is a common situation that I see aspiring board members confront. Recording this episode will enable me to help more people work through this stage of their board career than I could get to by having a series of one-to-one conversations. Aspiring board member Steve reached out to me via LinkedIn and asked to have a conversation about his intentions to get onto boards. He was just joining two volunteer-based boards and was considering completing a governance course in the new year with the view to securing two paid board roles thereafter. And this was all in the context of him transitioning his professional career into a portfolio career. This may sound similar to your board career or board ambitions; a desire to secure a paid board role and seeing formal governance education as the logical box to tick to be able to get to paid board roles.  In this episode, I share my recommendations to Steve (and to you) on a better way to approach your board career; one that will get you further, faster by actually going slower.  How to Set a Board Goal  Setting and Calibrating your Board Goal  Developing your Unique Value Proposition  Demonstrating your Unique Value Proposition  Networking for Board Success Workbook See the full show notes here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/what-to-do-before-seeking-a-board-role-ep-79/

’Tis the season to be attending many functions. But how do you choose which events, functions, and parties to show up to? And how do you get the most out of the events you are attending (i.e. to support your board ambitions)? I share three questions to ask yourself so that you can use your board goals as a guide to choose which events you attend so that you’re not over-exerting yourself by going to every function you’re invited to. You’re being strategic with your time, money, and energy, and you will get further, faster with your board goals.  Links to Articles mentioned in episode: How to Set a Board Goal:  https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/how-to-set-a-board-goal/ Five Considerations when Networking for a Board Position: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/five-considerations-when-networking-for-a-board-position/ Five More Considerations when Networking for a Board Position: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/five-more-considerations-when-networking-for-a-board-position/ If you would like to support the Stroke Foundation to prevent stroke, save lives, and enhance recovery, please visit https://strokefoundation.org.au/ See the full show notes here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/leveraging-events-to-build-your-board-career-ep-78/

This episode was inspired by a recent conversation I had with a friend about her board career and the goals she has for it. We quickly got onto the topic of governance-centred courses, which is a common consideration for aspiring board members. We also got onto the topic of board recruitment and the commonly desired and required attribute of candidates is that they can demonstrate that they have completed a particular governance-centred course, rather than focusing on the corporate governance experience or expertise gained through other avenues. It became clear that there are two sides to the conversation about qualifications for board members: one from the aspiring board member perspective (when looking to join a board or further their board career), and one from the board perspective (when considering potential new board members).  So, that’s what is covered in this episode. I unpack: The perception that you need a qualification to be on a board.  If there is a particular governance course you should invest in.  Why a qualification doesn’t make someone a great board member.  How to navigate a board’s candidate’s required/desired governance education/qualification.  How your board goals influence your governance education investment, including actual board service.  The important of a comprehensive board search strategy for aspiring board members.  How boards can be clearer when communicating desirable board candidate attributes, particularly as it relates to corporate governance knowledge and application.  Find the full show notes here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/qualifications-for-board-members-ep-77/

Jasleen Kaur and I dig into diversity and inclusion, what the state of the nation is regards to the work done so far, how organisations can make meaningful progress and impact, how to avoid tokenism, where to find diverse candidates (for your board or organisation), and how individual accountability and consequences are key in achieving desired inclusion outcomes. I didn’t want this to be another diversity and inclusion conversation; there’s a lot of those out there already (including episodes 61, 23, and 2 of this podcast). I asked Jasleen to share the grassroots thinking and approaches that any board can adopt to make real progress towards their inclusion and diversity goals. And if you’re wondering which comes first – diversity or inclusion – that’s the first question we tackle in this episode. About Jasleen Jasleen is a Senior Principle in Gartner’s Human Resources Research and Advisory Practice, based in Sydney. As part of her role at Gartner (a global research and consulting firm), she partners with Heads of HR and their talent management teams across the world, to drive their strategic decision-making and implementation in areas of Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Analytics, Performance Management and Wellbeing, using Gartner's evidence-based research. Connect with Jasleen on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasleen-kaur-she-her-hers-34809459/ Check out Gartner's articles on Inclusion and Diversity https://www.gartner.com.au/en/human-resources/insights/diversity-equity-inclusion  Find the full show notes here:  https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/how-to-do-diversity-and-inclusion-in-any-organisation-with-jasleen-kaur-ep-76/ 

I recently asked the members of my Board Talk Community what they felt is the most challenging part of STARTING their board journey. The majority of people responded that not knowing where to find board opportunities was their biggest challenge. So, I thought I would respond to that challenge in this episode because you may be feeling or experiencing the same challenge. To that end, I cover three places where you can find board opportunities: through advertisements, by using board recruiters, and through your network. Download the Networking for Board Success resource: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/networking-for-board-success.pdf  Find the full show notes here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/where-to-find-board-opportunities-ep-75/ 

Strategy and strategic planning are things that I see many boards struggle with. I feel like strategy is one of those things that you understand when you see it, but defining it is difficult. You know a good strategy when you see one, but getting to that point feels difficult, unclear, and challenging. Once you’ve gone through a strategic planning process, and have a strategy, the next thing to consider is execution – and getting that right is a whole other kettle of fish. So, to help clarify strategy – what is it, how it’s done, keeping execution on track, and measuring the right things, I’m thankfully joined by Simon Starr – a business coach and strategy facilitator for more than a decade. Simon simplifies the world of strategy and strategic planning with easy-to-understand and easy-to-apply concepts and definitions for any organisation. I learned a lot from this conversation, and I hope you do too. Connect with Simon https://www.hoodsweeney.com.au/about/directors/simon-starr-director-performance-coaching Find the full show notes here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/simplifying-strategy-with-simon-starr-ep-74/

Every board needs a solid connection with their CEO. And every CEO needs a solid connection with their board. The Board-CEO relationship is dynamic and, done well, enables an organisation to be successful, sound, and solid. Done poorly, the organisation can reel from crisis to crisis; under-performing and drawing criticism from people inside and outside the organisation. It’s a tough place for a Board and organisation to come back from. Thankfully there are practices and principles that are simple to introduce and maintain to keep the Board-CEO relationship firing on all cylinders, even in the face of crisis or uncertainty. As a follow-up to a recent webinar I hosted for BoardPro about why every board needs a solid connection with their CEO (https://www.boardpro.com/resource-centre/webinars/why-every-board-needs-a-solid-connection-with-their-ceo2), I'm answering a handful of questions that weren’t answered during the webinar due to our limited time in the live presentation. And I thought what a great idea to bring back my ‘CEO whisperer’ (and my husband) Jerry Kleeman to give us the view from the other side of the table – I bring the board perspective, he brings the CEO perspective – and answer these questions with a wider lens than the pure governance view shared in my recent webinar. Some of the questions we answer: What essential skills are required for CEOs to succeed in future?  How do you handle a board that continues delving into operational issues during board meetings?  How significant is a strong Emotional Intelligence for a CEO?  How do you get a CEO or Board Member to "realise" it's time to go, and what if they still don't?  What does the CEO do if you have a Board that doesn't properly understand the business?  Thanks to our sponsor BoardPro Visit boardpro.com/boardshorts and use the promo code boardshorts – all one word, lowercase – to get a 30-day free trial AND 20% off the price of your first year on any plan.  Full show notes here:  https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/building-a-solid-board-ceo-relationship-with-jerry-kleeman-ep-73/ 

There’s a quick, inexpensive, and easy tool that can help your Board to build its bench strength. That tool is a Board Skills Matrix. But before you tune out before you tune in, what I share in this episode is how to take this simple tool that many boards are using and beef it up to make it do double or even triple duty for your board and your organisation. Board skills matrices are underutilised. There are simple ways that this tool can be used by boards to, of course, build a skills-based board, but also to increase board diversity, know when and which employees to hire, inform board members' professional development investment (time and/or money), and help direct your board and senior management succession planning and recruitment activities. Whether it’s time to set, or refresh, your board’s skills matrix, this episode will help it to become a comprehensive and meaningful tool to establish and maintain a board that delivers high value to the organisation, and that impacts and influences other conversations aimed towards having the best (most effective, efficient, and committed) board for your organisation. Full show notes here:  https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/a-tool-to-help-your-board-build-its-bench-strength-ep-72/ 

I started my board career in 2009 at a local sport club. Thirteen years later I am on the board of a national charity and have a business education aspiring and current board members on governance and thriving in the boardroom. In this episode I share my board story: my board career journey, what I have achieved along the way, and what I’ve learned over this journey. The three lessons I share at the end of this conversation – along with insights along my board journey – I hope inspires you to move forward with confidence in your board career journey.  Full show notes here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/my-board-story-ep-71/ 

Georgia Henry is the founder and CEO of Henry Reed, a specialist culture and leadership consultancy and advisory business that partners with organisations and people leaders to drive positive culture change for meaningful and measurable impact. Georgia is on the Board Shorts Podcast to share her perspectives and expertise on organisational culture and, particularly, the Board’s role in changing, shaping, and keeping their finger on the pulse of their culture in the boardroom and the culture throughout their organisation. As a culture expert with global knowledge and more than 30 years of experience in organizational culture, leadership, organisation design and human resources, Georgia understands how important the human experience of work is to the success of any business. Georgia blends this experience with her governance experience from the boards of global, national, and local businesses across diverse industries. Our conversation explores the definition of culture (important because of the buzzword status that culture carries), how you can begin to understand the culture you have, how your organisation optimises opportunities for creating competitive advantage, mitigate risks from behaviours, and deliver improved financial and non-financial results through your culture; how your board begins to craft its own culture, along with your organisation’s culture; and how your organisation can leverage culture as a strategic advantage. Connect with Georgia Website: www.henryreed.com.au Email: georgia@henryreed.com.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiahenry-henryreed Full Show Notes Here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/culture-in-and-beyond-the-boardroom-ep-70/ Thanks to our sponsor BoardPro Visit boardpro.com/boardshorts and use the promo code boardshorts – all one word, lowercase – to get a 30-day free trial AND 20% off the price of your first year on any plan.

The board-CEO relationship is one that requires ongoing work to maintain optimal dynamics and desired outcomes. There are two perspectives to consider regarding where problems may originate. But, like with any relationship, ‘it takes two to tango’, so each side shares equal responsibility in keeping the board–CEO relationship firing on all cylinders. I share 14 of the main root causes of where the board–CEO relationship can go wrong, from both sides of the table. And, of course, practical suggestions on how they can be managed, overcome, or avoided. • Creating & Sustaining a High-Performance Board (Webinar Replay + Whitepaper): https://www.boardpro.com/resource-centre/webinars/creating-sustaining-high-performance-boards • Leading Up and Down: the Dynamic Relationship Between the Board and CEO (Article): https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/leading-up-and-down-the-dynamic-relationship-between-the-board-and-ceo/ • Four Documents Supporting the Board-CEO Relationship (Article): https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/four-documents-supporting-the-board-ceo-relationship/ • The Keys to a Thriving Board-CEO Relationship | Ep. 68 (Podcast): https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/the-keys-to-a-thriving-chair-ceo-relationship-with-jerry-kleeman-ep-68/ Full show notes: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/where-the-board-ceo-relationship-can-go-wrong-ep-69/ 

I’ve invited a very special guest back to the podcast for this conversation; my husband Jerry Kleeman. Jerry is uniquely qualified to talk on this episode’s topic; he works extensively with CEOs (both business owners and hired guns), many of whom have a board to which they report. Often, Jerry helps his CEO clients work with and manage their Board, and in particular, their board Chair. Jerry shares his insights from his 20 years of working with SME CEOs to dissect the ideal Chair-CEO relationship; know how to build the relationship using shared principles; create a regular Chair-CEO one-to-one agenda; identify where problems in the relationship manifest; and what to do if the Chair isn’t the best person to work closely with the CEO.  Questions I asked Jerry Describe the ideal Chair-CEO relationship; what does it look and feel like for both parties?  What does a regular Chair-CEO one-to-one agenda cover?  Does the Chair act as a coach or mentor to the CEO?  Where do problems in the Chair-CEO relationship usually manifest?  Where can a Chair or CEO begin to establish a solid relationship?  What if the Chair isn’t the best person on the board to work closely with the CEO; What would you recommend?  Connect with Jerry LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerrykleemanbetterleaders/ Website: https://www.jerrykleeman.com/ Full show notes here:  https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/the-keys-to-a-thriving-chair-ceo-relationship-with-jerry-kleeman-ep-68/ 

A question that I am frequently asked by business owners and leaders is how do I put a board together? Of course, I have some recommendations about this; however, sometimes it pays to have an expert advisor – someone who literally wrote the book on it – to give a considered and comprehensive answer to this question. And this is a conversation not only for business owners looking to build their board; it’s also beneficial for aspiring board members to understand so that they can better position themselves for these opportunities. The book I am referring to is ‘Build Your Board, Build Your Business’ and the author is Barbara Clarke. Barbara and I discuss when it's time to start putting your board together; what are the motivations behind building a board; How to know when you need: A board or board member? An advisor? An employee? Or Something else? What the difference is between an advisory board and a governance board and when you need one or the other. Barbara also shares her ANCHOR model for building your board. We close the conversation focusing on people who want to get on boards and how they position themselves for the boards that these business owners are wanting to build.  Find the full show notes here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/build-your-board-build-your-business-with-barbara-clarke-ep-67 

How do you write a board resume? Where do you start? What information do you put into it? I answer all of these questions for you and break down the board resume structure to give you some insights into the process, what boards are looking for and expecting from your resume, and small tweaks that can make a big difference and help you stand out from the crowd. This information will help you feel a little less overwhelmed and a lot more confident as you begin writing your board resume.  LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE Five Steps to Build Your Board Resume Course: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/five-steps-to-build-your-board-resume/ Article: Five Things to Consider about your Board Resume Referees https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/five-things-to-consider-about-your-board-resume-referees/ Podcast: Episode #53 Five Common Board Resume Mistakes and How to Avoid Them: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/five-common-board-resume-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them-ep-53/ Find the show notes here: https://getonboardaustralia.com.au/breaking-down-the-board-resume-ep-66/ 

Steve Bowman and I answer a series of questions submitted by the BoardPro community as part of a recent webinar that we participated in (find the replay here: https://www.boardpro.com/resource-centre/webinars/qa-everything-governance). Submit your question for a future Board Shorts Podcast episode: https://bit.ly/BoardShortsQuestion Questions  (06:02 - Ateel) What is the fine line [for the Board getting involved] in appointing Office Staff - e.g Business managers, Front office staff. Is it an operational matter? What are your thoughts? (11:28 - Michelle) What do you like to see in a board pack? How much before the meeting do you like to receive it? And how do you encourage people to read the board packs before each board meeting?  (23:44 - Annette) We are currently making changes to our Agenda Template. Looking for information on best practice Agenda layout and specifically how to relate agenda items to the Strategic Plan. (41:18 - David) How can we make time for digital, to deeply incorporate this into both strategy and risk? Digital transformation and cybersecurity can easily be crowded out of the agenda by short-term operational issues, and there's only so much time/attention when small organisations have several board meetings per year. About Steven Bowman Steven Bowman is a governance expert and seasoned Board adviser, with a great depth of experience and skill in facilitating Board reviews and the strategic planning process. He has held numerous senior executive, CEO and Board positions in the USA and Australia, and has authored and co-authored over 14 books on governance, strategy, risk and executive leadership. Steven has built a reputation around the world as an adviser who empowers his clients by offering multiple perspectives on any given challenge. Connect with Steven Conscious Governance TV: https://www.consciousgovernancetv.com/conscious-governance-tv-home Conscious Governance Moments: https://www.consciousgovernancetv.com/podcasts/conscious-governance-moments Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenbowmangovernance Thanks to our sponsor BoardPro Visit boardpro.com/boardshorts and use the promo code boardshorts (all one word, lowercase) to get a 30-day free trial AND 20% off the price of your first year on any plan.