Intersection of Strategy and Governance - Roles and Responsibilities of the Association Board

The Delicate Balance - Intersection of Strategy and Governance - Roles and Responsibilities of the Association Board.

By Randall Rollinson, President, LBL Strategies

Do you remember riding a teeter totter as a child?

Allow me to use it as a metaphor to make a point. A fundamental requirement for successful teeter tottering (now think strategic management) is that riders (now think board and senior management) understand, embrace, and do what is required for the teeter totter to go up and down in smooth rhythmic bliss. If not the “delicate balance” is disrupted much like the situation when one end of the teeter totter is occupied by a friend of disproportionate height or weight, and maybe even possessing a propensity for causing trouble.
This strategic management pitfall in associations can easily be avoided. It requires some level of investment in defining roles and responsibilities of the board and the senior management, and then training and supporting each leader to ensure appropriate behavior going forward.