Ready, Steady, Go!

Change will challenge you (as will many projects and programmes, however straightforward they appear) but keep four things in mind and the road will be easier.

• Direction - where are you going and why? Clarity here helps keep things in focus and support decision making.
• Pace - how quickly are we going there? will this ebb and flow, can we support this pace (especially with capacity and decision making) and what happens when we hit a roadblock or traffic jam?
• Agility - how flexible are we going to be and what are our parameters? How do we support this agility but ensure we stay on track and don’t get lost in diversions.
• Cadence - what’s the rhythm and how do we keep things on track? This is often a killer difference between success and failure. Be honest and realistic about how you’ll maintain it.

There’s so much more to successful projects, programmes and change, but keep these in mind, when you start but especially during implementation, and the challenges will at least be more manageable.

Remember, perfect is the enemy of the good. It's better to make progress at a sensible pace and get there in the end than end up with a car crash project and a burnt out team.

Digital doesn't have to be difficult - take small steps

The sheer mention of digital, tech and data can send shivers down your spine - but it doesn't need to. Digital (and all the wonders it promises) is basically like a big box of Lego - true, often minus coherent instructions, but flexible nonetheless and like Lego, you can build things brick by brick.

With enough time and money, it would be great to create a coherent digital strategy and a two year programme of transformation BUT maybe that's not where you are? Maybe you're just frustrated because:

• things take too long
• tools don't quite work
• data and documents are 'hard work' or 'difficult to find'
• the sheer choice and expectations are overwhelming

Like Lego, you can start with a few bricks and build something meaningful which makes you happier (and things easier). 

All you need to start with is an intention (what you want to make better and why e.g. "I just want the thing to work") and a question (what can I do about X because it's Y)... Because almost every great project starts with a conversation. So give me a call - you can book a free, 50 minute, no obligation chat here.   

Because a problem shared is a problem halved. I'm looking forward to speaking to you.

Don't just cling on - climb!

Work (and life) can be intimidating sometimes - always a long list of things to do and difficult to know where to start. It means we can often 'cling on' for dear life without being able to make progress. What if...

We knew what we wanted to achieve?

We knew how to get it done? (or at least where to start)

We knew what we needed?

There's only so much time and money (resource) but sometimes a step back can help us see the bigger picture and truly climb.

A Digital and Operations Framework – what it is and why it matters

Digital and Operations Framework

This framework is the product of 25 years in organisational development and digital transformation across charities and business of all sizes. It provides a structure to map, discuss, clarify, plan and execute on the components of How We Work, The Tools We Use and the Data We Use.

Imagine a pile of Lego on the floor (or table) in front of you. Lots of useful pieces, some brightly coloured but a bit of a mess. Does that feel like your technology, tools and content?

The individual pieces are (reasonably) functional but they don’t quite work together. Some pieces are broken. And it’s all a little bit overwhelming so you don’t know where to start… and Digital Transformation just sounds so intimidating! The good news is, like Lego, we can sort this one brick or block at a time.

• If you can’t have a Digital Strategy, at least start with an intention.
• Instead of a new system, make the most of the old one first (what does it do, how do we use it best).
• Spend a bit of time thinking whether you could do ‘something’ (a process) better.
• Start somewhere (the most painful point) and make progress step by step.

Digital doesn’t have to be difficult – you can ‘eat the elephant’ in bite sized chunks.

Digital Transformation or Digital Improvement? Marginal gains or radical transformation. The important thing is to make it easier and get better.

It all starts somewhere. Reach out to us for a chat and let’s see where we can go together.

What can we learn from board governance reviews - the importance of courage and integrity

“Boards are not comfortable places and they shouldn’t be. The two key qualities of a Board Director are courage and integrity.” – Ian White

Comply and explain, monitor and improve. Ian White shared his experiences of Board reviews, from FTSE100 to smaller charities in WCoMC ‘s latest My Most Interesting... webinar.

My own two guiding principles for organisational governance have always been ‘challenge and support’ whether as a school governor, charity trustee or in a regulatory role. Providing either challenge or support, to fellow board members or exec/ops, requires robust and evidenced argument and may come with a healthy side helping of discomfort. After all, if everyone thinks the same, perhaps no one is thinking very much. 

“The high performance board, like the high performance team, is competent, co-ordinated, collegial, and focused on an unambiguous goal.  Such entities do not simply evolve; they must be constructed to an exacting blueprint.”

For some time we’ve known that diversity is important on boards but it’s not just ‘visible characteristics’. Diversity of thinking (cognitive), background and experience are just as critical to avoid missing perspectives. 

So what makes up an effective board review?

• A clear mandate and scope - the review must be owned by the Chair
• Questionnaires to gather initial data
• Background research on the directors (beyond their PR profile)
• Interviews (all confidential and unattributed) - with directors, advisers, stakeholders and employees (breadth and detail)
• Reviewing the Board’s papers
• Observe the meeting (are people paying attention or doing their email; what’s the culture)
• Write the report - which must be independent, objective and diplomatic (the art of phrasing matters here)

Expertise in a board role is important but so is an outside view. Dynamics and culture matter as does the boards attitude to risk - important if the organisation is to develop and grow and achieve and not just play safe and stagnate. More diverse boards make more effective decisions.

Ian highlighted common themes and observations from his experience of reviews – lack of challenge by board members, too much data and not enough info, meeting overload, understanding (or lack) of business/sector, exec vs non-exec (them and us), skills, lack of succession, lack of diversity. And time commitment- how much do you really need when it hits the fan?

And a big question - The chair’s role is to construct and manage the board but who holds the chair accountable to that?

And significantly, what are the three elements of an effective board?

1. Set the right tone

2. Ask what if questions 

3. Understand the business model, risks and strategy

So to recommendations: Boards need to do more scenario planning and scenario testing, should focus more attention on the key risks (the key things that would shut us down) and balance risk against uncertainty and visibility against strategic distance (don’t get lost in the detail). And they should take heed of reviews.

Is your board in need of a review - the answer is probably yes. Just use the findings wisely.

References: 

• Nadler, Building Better Boards - https://hbr.org/2004/05/building-better-boards 
• Ian White, Why NEDs Need Courage and Integrity - https://www.ianrobertwhite.co.uk/why-non-executive-directors-need-courage-and-integrity-but-shouldnt-hedge-popularity/