By Pete Parker
Strong organizations are governed by outstanding leaders. Fueled with passion, experience, and commitment, the board members of community organizations play vital roles in the direction, management and impact of these groups.
However, the strength of this leadership…and engagement…isn’t always immediately felt upon creating the board or recruiting the new board member. As with many great things, the strength of the board is developed over time, through active involvement, and organizational understanding. One proven method to mature leadership and, at the same time, create organizational opportunity is by conducting regular board retreats.
As I see it, board retreats are integral to an organization’s success. It presents an opportunity to plan for the future by blending the vast amount of leadership, experience, skills, and ideas of the board’s members. In fact, if conducted on a regular basis, you’ll find that organizations run more smoothly, where board members are more connected, and the interpersonal relationships of board and staff are strong.
I’ve participated in many board retreats during my brief time on this earth and see the strength retreats serve as great “starts” for both organizations and their leaders. In fact, I feel the most successful retreats…those which set the stage for future success…follow four critical steps.
1. Planning – defining the purpose; planning meetings; self-assessment; presentation materials
2. Engagement – clear agenda; board “buy in”; interactive and fun
3. Strategy – creating goals and action steps; measurable results
4. Follow-Through – developed through committee meetings; presented/reviewed at board meetings
A successful retreat hinges on the work of a hard-working team (board, staff, and facilitator), an interested and skilled facilitator, and a proactive agenda. Most importantly, its success relies on the “buy in” and active involvement of its board members. I’ve also found that it’s important to tie the meeting’s agenda and activities to the organization’s challenges and goals. This enables the board to challenge assumptions, address issues, foster interpersonal relationships, improve productivity, understand and clearly represent the mission/message, and develop strategies.
Have you scheduled your next board retreat? Whether it’s to address your organization’s board development, mission/vision, messaging/public relations, fund development, and/or strategic planning, now is the time to invest in your future.