This is the third installment of the Board Member Speaks series where I interview board members and individuals who have a lot of board experience. In this episode, my guest is Linda Ross.
Linda Ross is the current President/CEO of Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women, Newfoundland and Labrador. She has 25+ years experience in policy and advocacy in international development. Linda Ross is also the President of the Coalition of Provincial and Territorial Advisory Councils on the Status of Women and an active member for various provincial and national boards and advisories committees including The College of Family Physicians of Canada and Women in Resource Development Corporation.
We talk about how important it is for a board to have structure and a clear understanding of the roles board member plays to contribute to the betterment of the organization.
A couple of excerpts from the interview:
What are three key lessons that you learned about board governance during your experience?
1. Be clear on your roles and responsibilities are being on a board.
2. Ensure that when you’re on a board it has the bylaws, governance policies, strategic plans, all the essential pieces that make the board running. Also, ensure that it’s not in a position of risk and vulnerability.
3. Realize that being on a board requires more than just having good intentions about doing the right thing. Be prepared to commit the time and the effort into working with that organization for the betterment of the organization.
When you first started on a board what are two or three things you wish you knew right from the beginning?
1. Know what type of a board it is because there are a lot of boards. I found in the past that I wasn’t clear on what type of board I was in, in fact, even the organization was not clear on what type of board it has.
2. Find out what type of commitment the organization has towards training the board because it’s not just about being there, there has to be learning and so training is a need.
Watch the short video below:
Board Roles: Important Information Known Only To The Best
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