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Crisis management Our experience with clients shows that we have 2 main types of organisation which approach us looking for governance support. Most of our clients practice good governance. They engage Leading Governance to help take their governance from good to great. These clients recognise the value of good governance to their organisation. They are …

‘Crisis management’ or ‘good to great’ – which way is your board heading? Read More »

Critical Conversations at Board Level Being a board member requires balance in many ways.  We have collective responsibility, so we need to work as an effective team.  We also have individual legal duties, so we need to recognise that responsibility and live up to it.  Sometimes the hardest part of board membership is when difficult …

9 tips for Critical Conversations at Board Level Read More »

Boardroom Leadership A key role for any board is to provide leadership for the organisation. The board sets the tone, defines the values to drive culture, decides the appetite for risk, assesses the environment, agrees the strategy and monitors performance including financial performance. That’s a big task in anyone’s book. So why is it that …

Boardroom Leadership : When is a leader, not a leader? Read More »

The first step to good governance is having the right people in the room. With the right people, any problem may be dealt with. A well thought out person specification can help you get the right people. A person specification outlines the skills, knowledge, behaviours and qualities needed for someone to be effective in a …

Get the Right Board Team by Perfecting Your Person Specifications Read More »

You’ve found a board that is a good match for your skills, successfully got through the recruitment process, and now you’re a new board member in that organisation. You want to contribute to the organisation as quickly as possible and ‘hit the ground running’, but how do you do this? Your responsibilities as a board …

7 ways to help new board members Read More »

Last month it was reported that the English National Opera (ENO) had been dropped from the Arts Council’s national portfolio of organisations for 2015-18 and placed “under special funding arrangements”. According to the BBC, Arts Council England said the ENO must improve its governance and business model or face funding cuts. It said it would …

Practice good governance or sing for your supper Read More »

On 17 September the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) issued the latest version of the UK Corporate Governance Code (the Code). Who does the FRC Code apply to? The FRC Code applies to all publically listed companies, which must report on whether they have complied with the code, and provide an explanation for any areas in which …

The FRC Code – Why you should pay attention to it, even if you’re not a public listed company. Read More »

Love them or hate them, the vast majority of work done by boards is done in meetings. Knowing how to have effective and productive meetings is a key skill for any board team. This involves having the right content, in the form of a well thought out agenda, informative briefing papers, and challenging discussions regarding …

Better board meetings Read More »

Mandatory governance training for Board Members I can almost hear the groans and the chorus of “not again”. And yet just this week, we have heard of trustees being suspended from the Disabled Police Officers Association of Northern Ireland, a second chair stepping down from the child abuse enquiry, and the launch of a criminal …

Board Members – Learn to Love to Learn Read More »

In the third of our series on effective board meetings, we’re looking at board papers. We know that the board pack should be distributed at least a week in advance of the meeting. What should Board Papers contain? 1. Meeting notice The meeting notice is the covering letter for the board pack. It should state …

Better board meetings – board papers Read More »