Susan Mogensen 
December 1, 2022Video Transcript: Policy Governance is a way to make sure organizations achieve the right results and avoid jeopardy. It helps everyone save time, avoid common problems, and focus on relevant outcomes. PG has ten principles that every board or group of people with authority can apply however they like. The key to success is knowing Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen July 29, 2019This article by Susan Mogensen appears in Board Leadership Number 164, July-August 2019. Board Leadership is published by Wiley Subscription Services, a Wiley Company. For more information and to subscribe, visit wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/bl. For those feeling that democracy as we have known it is under serious threat, or who yearn for vast improvements in how our Continue reading →
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 →
Susan Mogensen March 17, 2018Many boards and organizations go to great lengths to develop statements or lists of values by which they intend to abide. But coming up with a list of values is of no use unless those values translate into actual behaviours. Does this situation look familiar? As John Carver says, “I frequently encounter boards that have Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen March 17, 2018Ends in Policy Governance is a three-fold concept. Ends policies must answer these three questions at least at the broadest level of policy: what benefit? For whom? At what worth? Sometimes the “at what worth” concept is misunderstood or neglected but it’s a very important component of Ends and demands serious consideration by the board. Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen June 2, 2015Is your board fighting a losing game? Just as Lucy and Ethel struggle to keep up with wrapping the chocolates in this classic I Love Lucy scene, boards of directors can also find themselves fighting a losing game when operational activities, plans, budgets and decisions come at them faster than can be properly handled. A Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen May 11, 2015I love board governance. There, I said it, and I am not apologizing, either. I once heard a newscaster ask a newly elected political candidate, “And, I hate to use this word since it really causes people’s eyes to glaze over, but what plans do you have for governance” — he winces — “for the Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen December 13, 201499% of the challenges faced by boards can be resolved in the following three ways: 1. Using a holistic system to govern.2. Having effective decision-making methods.3. Being physically and emotionally healthy. Without a logical governance system, boards and managers can easily lose effectiveness and get off-track. The most common symptoms of board dysfunction include lack Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen December 7, 2014Use the Ultimate Troubleshooting Guide For All Boards of Directors to navigate your way out of any issue or challenge that comes before your board. Two main elements are key: (1) having a comprehensive and relevant set of board policies that appropriately reflect the board’s and owners’ values; and (2) monitoring to ensure the policies Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen January 18, 2014Order Meeting Helpers here: Brown Dog Consulting Products Meetings are a fact of life. Unfortunately, we’ve all experienced our fair share of bad, frustrating or less-than-productive meetings. It’s no wonder, really, when you consider that a meeting typically involves several people sitting around a table, with one person speaking at a time. This is generally Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen March 7, 20131. CEO and staff are empowered to do their jobs with confidence and creativity. For traditional boards, typically the CEO/staff make plans and decisions which they must present to the board for approval. Direction from the board is often unclear, incomplete, contradictory, or amounts to well-intentioned mircromanaging. Confusion frequently results when staff cannot distinguish between Continue reading →
Susan Mogensen February 5, 2013Suffering from Board Approval Syndrome? Are you still playing “Mother, May I?” with your board? Here’s another way, with ideas based on the principles and thinking behind the Policy Governance system. Are you still playing “Mother May I?” with your board? Here’s what typically happens: Staff come up with a plan, and then put time Continue reading →
