Much is said in the world of sport of the need for "sound governance" - well what does that mean? We are currently reviewing a County Sport Partnership http://bit.ly/pmfTDO and have recently assisted two governing bodies http://bit.ly/njDiVJ in developing elements of their "governance". So practical experience and being able to identify strengths and weaknesses is important however the experience of “flying” the governance plane is an undoubted benefit.
My time at England Basketball gave me a vast knowledge and very practical and at some time stressful experience of how board of directors all signed up to a direction can be changed by one or two people who want to see "change" or who are seduced by the power of being a board member. Many good “doers” do not make good board members.
This is still the case with elected members or those from a body of the sport or a particular organisation not seeing the importance of collective working and that they should take the decisions based on the best interests of the organisation rather than the body they represent.
The answer is easy to explain but difficult to implement! Identify the skills and competences needed and within that the “type” of person you need. Whether election or appointment make sure that the people leading the organisation can understand that boards are about policy setting and strategic overview not implementation. One of my first consultancy contracts was to develop the self assurance framework http://bit.ly/qaxDCn which is now online and a very useful tool to measure with a sound framework for governance.
Some warning signs are obvious to me when looking at organisations which give a feel for poor governance –
• No skills or competence matrix/assessment
• Only elected members appointed
• Board papers circulated late or on the day
• Hefty operationally based agendas looking back not forward
• Sub-committees not meeting
• A large range of action from previous meetings not completed
• No declaration of interest process and members gaining “benefit” from being on the board
• “Red-letter day” board meetings
• No financial reserves or investment policies
• Members feel they have to “bring things to the board” rather than resolve prior to the meeting
• Or conversely dint raise things as they feel they will not be adequately discussed
• To name but a few..
I have recently been appointed to two voluntary roles in two sports both of whom I believe have sound governance and make sure that the board deals with the policy matters and staff and volunteers in collaboration deliver of the ground. I have been very impressed with Baseball-Softball Board governance since being on their board and not least the quality of delivery of a small, dedicated and expert staff team. The same can be said for West Midlands Swimming which I am delighted to have been appointed as chair.
Numerous examples exist of board of directors that have become dysfunctional or have been unduly influenced by conflicts of interest. I’ve lived it!! However those governing bodies and county boards who have ensured that all directors have their “noses all pointing in the same direction”, as Clive Woodward describes it, and have concentrated on the growth of the sport. One great example is Scottish Swimming, supported by the excellent Sportscotland Modern Sport Programme and led by Paul Bush, now with event Scotland. Paul some ten years ago moved to a competence based board that focused on the development of the sport and as such less in-fighting and a concentration on results. The subsequent over-performance at Commonwealth games proved the clear direction given by the board to allow the staff to lead implementation.
When I reviewed the governance some three years ago http://bit.ly/qhkMmZ the board were still focused and my review concentrated more on the committee functions which needed change. The quality of the staff had led to the committees being informed of what had happened and not discussing how to do things. Therefore the sport reduced its committee structure making the sport more able to react to the changing times.
Governance and leadership is critical to the effective running and development of organisations and should not be under-valued or overlooked. I am sure many organisations in or out of sport still fall into the same traps but the tools and people are there to help!
My time at England Basketball gave me a vast knowledge and very practical and at some time stressful experience of how board of directors all signed up to a direction can be changed by one or two people who want to see "change" or who are seduced by the power of being a board member. Many good “doers” do not make good board members.
This is still the case with elected members or those from a body of the sport or a particular organisation not seeing the importance of collective working and that they should take the decisions based on the best interests of the organisation rather than the body they represent.
The answer is easy to explain but difficult to implement! Identify the skills and competences needed and within that the “type” of person you need. Whether election or appointment make sure that the people leading the organisation can understand that boards are about policy setting and strategic overview not implementation. One of my first consultancy contracts was to develop the self assurance framework http://bit.ly/qaxDCn which is now online and a very useful tool to measure with a sound framework for governance.
Some warning signs are obvious to me when looking at organisations which give a feel for poor governance –
• No skills or competence matrix/assessment
• Only elected members appointed
• Board papers circulated late or on the day
• Hefty operationally based agendas looking back not forward
• Sub-committees not meeting
• A large range of action from previous meetings not completed
• No declaration of interest process and members gaining “benefit” from being on the board
• “Red-letter day” board meetings
• No financial reserves or investment policies
• Members feel they have to “bring things to the board” rather than resolve prior to the meeting
• Or conversely dint raise things as they feel they will not be adequately discussed
• To name but a few..
I have recently been appointed to two voluntary roles in two sports both of whom I believe have sound governance and make sure that the board deals with the policy matters and staff and volunteers in collaboration deliver of the ground. I have been very impressed with Baseball-Softball Board governance since being on their board and not least the quality of delivery of a small, dedicated and expert staff team. The same can be said for West Midlands Swimming which I am delighted to have been appointed as chair.
Numerous examples exist of board of directors that have become dysfunctional or have been unduly influenced by conflicts of interest. I’ve lived it!! However those governing bodies and county boards who have ensured that all directors have their “noses all pointing in the same direction”, as Clive Woodward describes it, and have concentrated on the growth of the sport. One great example is Scottish Swimming, supported by the excellent Sportscotland Modern Sport Programme and led by Paul Bush, now with event Scotland. Paul some ten years ago moved to a competence based board that focused on the development of the sport and as such less in-fighting and a concentration on results. The subsequent over-performance at Commonwealth games proved the clear direction given by the board to allow the staff to lead implementation.
When I reviewed the governance some three years ago http://bit.ly/qhkMmZ the board were still focused and my review concentrated more on the committee functions which needed change. The quality of the staff had led to the committees being informed of what had happened and not discussing how to do things. Therefore the sport reduced its committee structure making the sport more able to react to the changing times.
Governance and leadership is critical to the effective running and development of organisations and should not be under-valued or overlooked. I am sure many organisations in or out of sport still fall into the same traps but the tools and people are there to help!
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