It All Comes Down to This
Susan Mogensen 
July 23, 2019
Susan Mogensen July 23, 2019See also: Spurious Influences Derail Delegation
Accountability: What Could Go Wrong?
Susan Mogensen June 18, 2019
Susan Mogensen June 18, 2019Featured
Accountability vs Responsibility: What’s the Difference?
Susan Mogensen June 7, 2019
Susan Mogensen June 7, 2019We’re using Policy Governance and we have a Treasurer. Help!
Susan Mogensen October 1, 2018
Susan Mogensen October 1, 2018When organizations have a board member serving as Treasurer, significant dysfunction can emerge in the relationship between the board and the CEO. On one hand, the board has delegated the accomplishment of results within certain boundaries to the CEO, and on the other hand, the Treasurer is expected to oversee, manage, and/or question any/all operational Continue reading →
Policy Governance Benefits
Susan Mogensen May 19, 2018
Susan Mogensen May 19, 2018If your board or organization is asked about why it uses Policy Governance, here are five main benefits to share. Results: Policy Governance focuses boards on ensuring that the organization achieves relevant results. Applying Policy Governance principles lets boards connect all the dots from owner input to board policy to policy interpretation to evidence of Continue reading →
How to Resolve Operational Concerns
Susan Mogensen May 4, 2018
Susan Mogensen May 4, 2018Anytime a board member has a concern with operational situations or processes, they can take the following steps: 1. Check to make sure the underlying concern is covered (put off limits) by one or more Executive Limitations policies. Check for both broadly stated policies (e.g., the CEO shall not allow anything “unethical or imprudent”) as Continue reading →
Spurious Influences Derail Delegation
Susan Mogensen April 2, 2018
Susan Mogensen April 2, 2018Whenever a person or group of people delegate a task or objective to another person or group of people, this is what we expect will happen. Someone in a position of authority (e.g., citizens, members, shareholders, a board of directors, a boss) communicates clear objectives to a delegatee, who, by virtue of the role they accepted, Continue reading →
Understanding the One Voice Principle
Susan Mogensen March 14, 2017
Susan Mogensen March 14, 2017The Policy Governance “One Voice” Principle In Brief The One Voice Principle in Policy Governance® means that the board governs as a single body rather than through individual board members acting independently. Authority rests with the board as a whole, not with individual directors, officers, or committees unless formally delegated by the board. One frequently Continue reading →
“Personnel is Policy”? Let’s Try: Policy is Policy
Susan Mogensen December 12, 2016
Susan Mogensen December 12, 2016Former Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm, recently mentioned on CNN the old maxim that “personnel is policy.” She stressed the idea that staffing leadership positions in government is crucial because of all the day-to-day decisions these people make, and “those small decisions are what bend the arch of policy.” Indeed, this does seem to describe how Continue reading →
Boards Need to Know What Boards Need to Know
Susan Mogensen May 12, 2016
Susan Mogensen May 12, 2016Three key points that emerged during this online discussion by the Xylem Group, Accountability – Dealing with the aftermath of failure, underscore the challenging nature of the role of a board of directors: Boards are ultimately accountable for organizational performance (or lack thereof). Board members can’t possibly know everything about everything. There are risks in everything an Continue reading →
Dear Board Member: It’s Not About You, It’s About We
Susan Mogensen May 5, 2015
Susan Mogensen May 5, 2015“Good leaders must first become good servants.” – Robert Greenleaf Yes, we know you were elected or appointed to the board of directors because of your expertise, your skills, your background, your hard work, your personality, and/or your commitment to the company or organization. Or maybe you stepped up when nobody else volunteered. Regardless of Continue reading →
Boards Can Be Accountable to Owners ― Without Being Jerks to Everyone Else
Susan Mogensen March 9, 2015
Susan Mogensen March 9, 2015One of Policy Governance’s underlying principles is that boards are accountable to a legal or moral ownership. While this principle is often considered ethical and just plain common sense, some people are quick to point out that boards have to be mindful of multiple “stakeholders” and that in many jurisdictions, legally, boards are accountable to Continue reading →
- Best Policy Governance® Courses (Carver Model)
- How does a board evaluate its CEO?
- A Tale of Two Ecosystems
- Monitoring Reports When Using Policy Governance Principles
- Good Governance Doesn’t Sustain Itself
- Brown Dog Consulting FAQ
- Transparency, Accountability, and the Flow of Information
- Hierarchy: Necessary but Not Necessarily Evil
- The Ups and Downs of Hierarchy
- Who’s at the Top?
- Ends vs. Means: What is the Difference?
- Five Keys to Fulfilling the Promise of Owner Service
