This is one those articles that asks more questions than gives you answers! Nothing like leading a workshop on Governance to challenge me to answer the question: Strategic Plans, by-laws, policies, procedures… Why do they matter?

I like to challenge a group about their Vision and Mission Statement, parts of a strategic plan. Do you know yours? Does it reflect your group culture? Do you evaluate your goals and plans against them? A great way to get to know your Vision statement: Keep it short and meaningful. Paint it on a wall your board or team walks by regularly. Print it on your letterhead. Say it your speeches till everyone remembers it. Get buy-in from your board that this is who your organization is. And make it fun – smile when you hear it repeated back to you!

When you know who you are and why you are doing what you do, a strategic plan has a base for the actions and goals an organization makes for itself. Strategic plans need review as well and can be the building blocks for operation plans. How are you going to achieve your mission and vision? Strategic plans are all about the “git’r’dun”!

Almost every organization I have been involved in has had governance documentation, by-laws, policies and procedures. The tougher questions are: When were they last reviewed? Are they still relevant? Do they reflect your current organization, or one from 30 years ago? And are they compliant with current laws? An annual review of documents makes a lot of sense. Sometimes it is simple changes. For example, do your by-laws require you to post notification of the AGM in a local paper? Is this your current process? Ensure your documentation matches the processes you follow. If not, decide if you will change your process or your documents.

What is more worrisome is not having a policy or procedures ready for when things go wrong. Policies and procedures protect us. An example: a Code of Conduct is a common policy. Acceptable behaviour is desirable. But what happens when a person acts in a way that is not acceptable by the Code of Conduct standards? Do you have a policy or procedure that establishes the process to bring such behaviour to account? Who reaches out? How is the process documented? Is there an appeal process? The challenge with not having a policy ahead of time makes any current policy development feel personal to the person who is under question. Policies and procedure should never be personal. They should be workable under several situations and be reviewed.

Good governance helps frame the work that you will do. It lays the ground rules for how we work with each other. Once it is established, good governance can be a part of your organizational culture, too. Interested in a workshop? Reach out to ROI. We’d be happy to talk.

Good governance helps frame the work we all do. It establishes the ground rules for how we collaborate, and once it is firmly in place, it can become an important part of your organizational culture.

If you’re interested in customized leadership and governance programming, reach out to Peggy Brekveld at pbrekveld@ruralontarioinstitute.ca to learn more.