Monday, September 26, 2011

Board Mtg #3

Confession: I have no idea how to work with a nonprofit board of directors. So when we ventured to start a nonprofit, working with a board was a topic I didn't give much thought to. Even though there is lots of literature that tells you that you should really think a lot about this. You know the drill, founders just want to work the work and not deal with administrative details like buying insurance or working with a board.

After almost a year, we've had only three meetings. But our last meeting, last weekend, was so electric. You know the feeling - when a team you are on is on the same page and fired up about it. Reviewing 2011 so far and seeing what's next - it IS exciting.

Here are some of the catalytic topics from the evening:
+ Overcommunicate - I send a weekly email to the board, most every week, especially when there is a lot going on. A big win.
+ What would you spend $10K on? - My answer was based funding projects that would help students grow in their social entrepreneurship abilities.
+ What drains you the most? - Of course, this question is all about strengths based leadership.
+ Failure and risk - We want to build a culture in which people are allowed to fail in order to grow. As someone who is highly risk averse [yes, its true] this is a healthy push. One day, there will be projects that are run by someone besides me.
+ Pipeline - We are gradually building a bigger pipeline of which to identify and resource global student leaders.

One year later, I'm more challenged and encouraged at this team's love for the students we serve and the future that they will impact. This board is resolute about our students' growth, leadership development and ability to mark human history. I'm also more confident than ever we have the right people on the bus and they occupy the right seats.

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