Presented on Monday 2 November at NCVO/BWB Trustee Conference 2015. Tesse Akpeki Boards don't have to be boring - five ways to retain your best board members. If you would like to find out more about our 2016 Trustee Conference email us at ncvoevents@ncvo.org.uk or call us on 020 750 3153.

1. Organised by: Lead Partner:
Media Partner:
Sponsors:PM1: BOARDS DON’T HAVE
TO BE BORING
FIVE WAYS TO RETAIN YOUR
BEST BOARD MEMBERS
TESSE AKPEKI
NCVO/BWB TRUSTEE
CONFERENCE
2 NOVEMBER 2015
Drinks sponsor:

2. 5 TIPS TO OVERCOME BOREDOM…
1. Utilise techniques such as games, tours, reality practices, and videos to
impart information in a more interactive way
2. Take advantage of Video blogs, audio blogs, webinars, online courses
and other forms of Web-based learning. Develop online training modules
that people can discuss afterwards with other learners
3. Use retreats or off-site meetings as exhilarating learning experiences -
the different environment may be exciting and motivating
4. Make good use of team– working; expedite learning and growth.
Highlight a mixture of personalities, learning styles and leadership
capabilities and competencies
5. Use coaching, mentoring and bespoke training opportunities to facilitate
development – board members discover and actualise their greatest
talents, their strengths & find their own solutions.
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3. 7 STEPS TO BUILDING A MORE EFFECTIVE TEAM
1. Teamwork, team cohesion, team healing
2. Onboarding - courtship before marriage
3. Trustee Induction and ongoing development
4. Succession planning and graceful exits
5. Strategic partnerships
6. Beware of and overcome, unhelpful group
dynamics (eg social loafing, social conformity,
hubris, inflated egos, cognitive bias etc)
7. Action, proactivity, agility and responsiveness
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4. GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR
RELATIONSHIPS…..4 IDEAS
Encourage board and staff members to develop new and
fresh ideas. Provide incentives (such as gift cards,
invitations to working lunches, other simple rewards) for
those who come up with the best ideas.
Encourage diversity – invite people with different points of
view to talk to your board members, attract diverse board
and staff members, encourage occasional board swaps for
projects to bring in a fresh perspective.
Host failure a forum –maximise your learning from what
has not worked as well as what has
Balance the internal with the external – spot emerging
trends and opportunities
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5. 8 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BOARDS -
MORE EFFECTIVE MEASUREMENT
1. Make it personal - utilise your vision/mission moment
2. Position the board as a model of performance
3. Disperse responsibility for the quality of governance
4. Enforce group norms and implement Codes of Conduct
5. Evaluate the board, individual trustees, committees,
meetings. Respond to what you find
6. Plan Measurable Actions
7. Disseminate examples of the board’s pivotal
contributions
8. Use “Plussing” (+) activities to encourage innovation,
creativity , learning and link to your theory of change
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6. THINKING, DOING & BEHAVING…
1. Set Mission-Based Goals for board meetings
2. Make sure board time is put to good use.
Utilise new technologies where appropriate
3. Ensure your intellectual & social capital is
tapped
4. Periodically assess “How are we doing?” ask
“What are we doing?” & “Why”?
5. Optimising opportunities (quicker OR better
decisions)
6. How often are our brilliant ideas put into play?
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7. EFFICIENT & EFFECTIVE…6 PRACTICAL TIPS
1. Utilise better thinking – consider alternative scenarios
“what should we do differently?”
2. Sync the board calendar with critical events at the
organisation
3. Work on the complex issues and challenges that the
organisation faces
4. Embed routines – what is the tolerance for thought,
ambiguity and sense making?
5. With management co-determine annual work plan,
timing, and agendas
6. Clarify follow-up actions - what needs to be done,
‘what we did’, ‘what we will do’ and ‘who will do it’
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8. UTILISING DIFFERENT MODES OF
GOVERNANCE – GOVERNANCE AS
LEADERSHIP (3 POINTS OF VIEW)
• What? (Fiduciary) Mode I: Role (Stewardship).
Responsibility (Oversight) – Mission Moment
• How? (Strategic): Role (Strategist) - Metrics
Mode II: Responsibility (Foresight)
• Why? (Generative): Role (Sense-Maker)
Mode III:Responsibility (Insight) - Wisdom
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9. EFFECTIVE FRAMING & STRUCTURE
1. Establish how the board can add value – agree clear criteria and
expectations for board appointments
2. Pose catalytic questions & utilise silent starts
3. Entertain ‘what if’ scenarios; encourage enquiry and curiosity
4. Utilise your dashboard and analytics to highlight trends, patterns,
meaning & impact
5. Schedule fireside conversations or WKCEOAAN dialogues ( What
keeps the CEO Awake at Night)
6. Allow strategy to drive structure: form follows function
7. Meeting design - Emphasise strategic/cross cutting themes
8. Coordinate and integrate committee/adhoc working groups work
9. Maximise discussion time and minimise lengthy presentations; &
focus on what matters
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10. # RESOURCES
• The Good Trustee Guide (NCVO, 2015)
• Young Trustees Guide (Developing the next
generation of charity leaders (CAF 2015)
• Duties of Charity Trustees (BWB)
• Hallmarks of a successful charity (PwC)
• Governing with intent (An inquiry into trustee
board effectiveness (BWB)
• Wired to govern (A trustee’s handbook for the
digital revolution)
• Delivering Effective Governance (Mike Hudson
& Jacinta Ashworth, CCE)
• Law Works (www.lawworks.org.uk)10

11. Tesse Akpeki
t.akpeki@bwbllp.com
10 Queen Street Place,
EC4R 1BE
020 7551 7723
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