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The Practitioner's Guide to Governance as Leadership

The Practitioner's Guide to Governance as Leadership Building High-Performing Nonprofit Boards

Author: Cathy A. Trower
Publisher: Jossey-Bass
ISBN: 9781118109878
Published In: December 2012
Format: Hardback , 272 pages
Jurisdiction: International ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only

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Contents
Author

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Praise for The Practitioner's Guide to Governance as Leadership

"With wisdom and insight, Trower has written the seminal guide for nonprofit boards. This is a must-read for every current and incoming nonprofit board member."
—Joel Allison, president and CEO, Baylor Health Care System

"For nonprofit chief executives who are ready for more engaged and purposeful boards and for board members who want to work more meaningfully and be true partners in leadership, Trower shows the way. She brings Governance as Leadership to life with case studies, theoretical frameworks, board exercises, and practical advice."
—Susan Whealler Johnston, executive vice president, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB)

"It has never been more critical than it is today for nonprofits to engage their boards in ways that capture the full talent, experience and resources of those who govern the work.?Yet, too often, we see organizations facing a substantial board-engagement gap.?In this book, Trower shares the pathway forward for nonprofit and philanthropic leaders seeking to transform their boards in ways that will have an exponential impact on everything from strategy to fundraising. I've learned much from Trower's work on board leadership over the years—I'm thrilled she's now sharing it broadly through this valuable new resource for our sector."
—Robert B. Acton, executive director NY, Taproot Foundation

"At BoardSource, we value Governance as Leadership as a groundbreaking publication that has helped thousands of board leaders view governance in a new way. With this new book, Trower has taken on the important task of connecting the dots back to the boardroom, where nonprofits of all sizes are struggling with leading their organizations through these challenging times ... she deftly combines business, psychological, and sociological principles to help board members examine their own thought processes and raise the level of thinking and discourse in the boardroom."
—Linda C. Crompton, president and CEO, BoardSource
List of Exhibits

Foreword (Richard Chait)

Preface

1 What Is Governance as Leadership?

Premises

Underlying Assumptions

Governance Reform

The Three Modes or Mental Maps

Why Three Modes?

2 Getting Started and Gaining Traction with Governance as Leadership

What Is Optimized at Board Meetings?

What Is Different about Generative Governance?

Moving to Higher Purpose and Optimizing Performance: Beginning the Conversation

Moving to Higher Purpose and Optimizing Performance: Getting Started

Moving to Higher Purpose and Optimizing Performance: Getting Traction

3 Encouraging Critical Thinking in the Boardroom

Critical Thinking and Metacognition

Getting on the Balcony

Ways of Thinking

Impediments to Critical Thinking

Cognitive Biases and Board Workarounds

Social Loafing

Groupthink

Avoiding Groupthink and Its Close Cousins

4 Turning Your Board into a High-Performing Team

Social Systems

Groups and Teams

Boards as Teams

Effective Board Teams in the Context of Governance as Leadership

5 Creating a Governance-as-Leadership Culture

Culture

Three Toxic Cultures

Culture Change

Culture Conducive to Governance as Leadership

Tools to Support a “Governance as Leadership–Friendly” Culture

6 What Governance as Leadership Requires of Leaders

Adaptive and Technical Work

Adaptive Leadership

The Paradoxes of Adaptive Leaders

Boards as Viewed by Executives

The Effective CEO in General

The Effective Governance as Leadership CEO

The Effective Board Chair in General

The Effective Governance as Leadership Board Chair

The Dynamic Duo: CEO and Chair

7 Measuring and Sustaining Governance as Leadership

Measuring Board Performance

Sustaining Governance as Leadership

Epilogue

References

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Index
Cathy A. Trower, PhD is a senior research associate at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. She is author of the second edition of Richard Chait's book, Govern More, Manage Less. Cathy is nationally known for her expertise on board policies, leadership, structure, organizational change, best governance practices, and strategic planning. She is in high demand as a speaker, consultant, and advisor and works with nonprofit boards independently through her consulting firm, Trower and Trower, Inc.