By Dara Rudick, CAE, MHQ CEO
This month I attended the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Annual Summit. I first got involved with NACD to learn how the governance practices of large corporations might help the associations we serve, and I now serve as Treasurer of our regional chapter board.
Over three days, I sat in rooms full of directors from some of the best-resourced boards in the country. I kept hearing the same challenge our association boards bring to us. As one of the final speakers put it, every new demand on a board costs time and money. Every organization, at every size, has to decide where those limited resources go.
That decision sits at the center of our work with client boards. Before each of our signature 60-minute Strategy Sessions℠, we ask board members to name their obstacles. Among those obstacles, they almost always list time and money. In the strategy session, we work out how to move forward anyway. The answer usually comes down to setting priorities, and the hardest part of setting priorities is choosing what to set aside.
The day before I wrote this column, I led a Strategy Session for one of our long-time clients, the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC). NAGC has a high-performing, engaged board, led by President Mick Bullock, a visionary leader, with a strong executive director in MHQ’s Mike Swan.
Before the session, the board brainstormed a long list of opportunities and named their constraints. In 60 minutes, this creative group did the hard work of deciding what to say no to. We gave the framework; they made the decisions.
Several board members entered the session overwhelmed by the scope of their work. Afterward, they told me they felt clarity and hope, and a path forward.
I also gave them a caution. This discipline looks simple. The real work starts after the session: keeping the priorities in front of the board at every meeting, reviewing the handful of goals they committed to for the next 90 days, and declining anything that pulls focus from those goals.
At the NACD Summit, another speaker made another strong point: a director’s attention rises and falls with everything else in their life. Board members can give their best when the priorities in front of them are few and clear.
With so much changing so fast, how we spend our resources, starting with time, decides whether our organizations thrive now and in the years ahead.
What will your board say no to in 2027?
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About MHQ
Driven by the vision of a thriving, vibrant community, MHQ is a woman-owned, world-class management company that delivers customized services. Founded in 2013, MHQ has provided association management services since its inception, as well as infrastructure to organizations in a range of industries. We serve professional and trade associations, as well as government and public sector entities. For more about MHQ, visit https://www.management-hq.com/.
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