Resources for Working with Boards

Consulting on strategy is not a “one size fits all” event. It is not even “one size fits most”. Each organization is different, with unique sets of customers, stakeholders, issues and players. That said, there are three different levels in an organization I have helped with strategy. They are:

(1)  Senior leadership. In some organizations they are called the “C-Suite”. Elsewhere I have seen them called “The Board”. Regardless of nomenclature, they are responsible for the strategic level of the organization.

(2)  “Middle management”. This also has different names in different organizations. They may be called managers or directors. They are responsible for the day-to-day execution of initiatives – the operational level of the organization.

(3)  “Front line workers”. They are responsible for the tactical activities of the organization.

This is an annotated list of books that have been valuable resources as I work with boards of NGOs and ministries. It is a group that is considered “Senior Leadership” in the above list. I include my recommendation of where each book would be most helpful.

Boardroom Confidence by Bobb Biehl and Ted Engstrom (available at his web site bobbbiehl.com)

I have used Bobb Biehl's Boardroom Confidence - worn out several copies actually – since I first read it nearly 25 years ago. It is in its 8th printing and full of adaptable examples. It is familiar to me and reinforces key principles that I emphasize.

Use it when... you want to train the board.

Nonprofit Board Answer Book by Robert Andringa and Ted W. Engstrom.

Andringa has done a lot of VERY good work in this area. He wrote an article in “Christian Management Review” several years ago and I adapted it for use in consulting with churches and NGOs. That made me search out other things he authored and this book is exceptional. It is “FAQs” on all aspects of a board. I found it useful in thinking through the roles and responsibilities in a conflicted board. The questions helped me clarify the issues.

Use it when… you want to diagnose issues a board is wrestling with regularly.

Boards That Make a Difference: A New Design for Leadership in Nonprofit and Public Organizations by John Carver.

This is a Jossey-Bass publication and has a little more “academic” flavor but definitely a worthwhile read. If you have a large organization with a mature board model, this is the one I would recommend.

Use it when… you want to move the board to the next level.

Governance as Leadership: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards by Richard P. Chalt, William P. Ryan and Barbara E. Taylor.

Use it when… your board is prone to micromanagement.

Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board by Max DePree.

I have to admit to a Max DePree bias. I was hooked after reading his first book, Leadership Is an Art.

Use it when… your board is all-volunteer.

If you cannot find the Andringa article email me (pastordude49@hotmail.com) and I will send you a copy of the "Board Best Practices Checklist" I adapted from the Andringa article. It is a great place to start the discussion. Every time I consult with a board, I am grateful for the practicality of his work.

Metrics for something squishy

Measuring things is inherently a "squishy" task. If you've ever done a woodworking or craft project you know this. Do you allow for the thickness of the pencil line? Where do you actually cut - the left side of the line, the right side of the line or right in the center? Nowhere is this "squishiness" more apparent than when it comes to metrics for churches. I have even been accused of "trying to measure God". That's kind of fruitless according Romans 11:33 but I decide it is best not to argue with these people. It is the same as teaching a pig to sing, as they say.

The maxim I use when it comes to church metrics is “Not everything that can be counted counts”. Meaningful metrics for a church depend on what you believe the mission of the church to be. That said, there are some “rule of thumb” metrics that are helpful in assessing church health. “Metric” as I use it here is a term of art, being composed of a measure (what are we counting?) and a target (What are we saying is good?). The metrics following are adapted from metrics proposed by Reggie McNeal in Leadership Journal, Winter 1999. I consider them to be very good general metrics. By general, I mean these are not connected to a specific strategy.

Measure: % of pre-Christians in worship services.

Target: 15% of attendees

Measure:  % of pre-Christians at outreach events.

Target: 15% of attendees

Measure: % of annual outreach events.

Target: 8

Measure: % of church members trained in sharing their faith.

Target: 25%

Measure: # of first-time guests in worship.

Target: 20%

Measure: % of small groups.

Target: 1 for every 12-15 adults in worship attendance

Measure: % of regular worship attenders who are a part of a small group.

Target: 60-70%

Measure: % of small groups formed within the last two years.

Target: 20% minimum

Measure: % of leaders who are newcomers in the past 2 years.

Target: 20%

Measure: % of intentional vision-casting efforts per year—through sermons, newsletters, classes, etc.

Target: 20%

Measure: % of hours each week pastors and staff members are engaged in intentional development of the leadership team—through classes, staff and committee  meetings, lunch with program heads, etc.

Target: 20% minimum

Measure: % of church members engaged in specific ministry efforts either in the church or community.

Target: 50%

Measure: % of church members who have identified their spiritual gifts and ministry passions.

Target: 60%

I do metrics and develop strategy for a living for a large consulting firm. Four times a year I facilitate development of a strategy for ministries and churches at cost. When I work with a church or ministry, we measure each element of the strategy to gauge progress. If you are looking for metrics developed specifically for your church or ministry, I can be contacted at the email associated with my LinkedIn profile.

If you would like to teach your leaders about healthy numbers for your church, contact me for a free resource, “Visitors by the Numbers”. This has additional metrics you might consider to assess the health of your church - and not all of them are "squishy".

A strategy for work-life balance

Having spent the last month "tethered" to my email because of this project or that deadline, I needed this reminder from Matt Heinz about the importance of work-life balance. These are simple, easy to implement and they work - the best elements of a strategy that works.

When Your Strategy Isn't Working

When I help organizations develop a strategy they often are discouraged in the implementation phase. Their complaint is along the lines of “Everything seems the same as it did before the strategy.” That is when I tell them what I learned from my grandfather a long time ago: It will take you as long to walk out of the woods as it did to walk in.

Let me explain. It wasn’t knowledge he came by easily. A life long woodsman, he managed to get lost in the Adirondack Mountains in an area he thought he knew. The state police looked for him all night, until he finally walked to a logging road and out of the woods to safety the following day. Later, he shared this hard earned wisdom with me while we sat together at the kitchen table.

I was all of ten years old so I asked him “Were you scared in the night?” That’s when he shared the best part of the story. It is the corollary to the being lost part: You will hear the cars on the road before you actually get there.

Whatever challenges you are facing right now are probably the long term impact of strategies that are almost right. And if you decided to make a change, stick with your new strategy. The strategy you changed from may have been perfect for a season, but the dynamics of a changing culture have made them less than the perfect solution. The process of planning is dynamic and it is never “complete”. It should be revised to accommodate the continuing differences between the plan and actual results. The vision (finding the way through the woods) will remain the same but the adventure has different stages.

Don’t be discouraged. Long before you can actually see the end of the “woods” you’ll hear and see signs that you’re going the right direction.