Lynn Curry has been leading strategic planning for educational, social and health organizations and agencies for over 25 years. She is a respected facilitator of organizational and program change, whose meticulous research and insightful direction produce clear and actionable policies and plans for positive outcomes. http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700 Successful businesses poach ideas from anywhere all the time if implenting the idea promises an improvement in market share.  How long did it take all the other banks to copy the credit card id... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=6 6 Tue, 17 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700 “It takes all the running you can do to stay in the same place; to get somewhere else; you have to run twice as fast.” (The Red Queen, Alice in Wonderland) OR MAYBE WE HAVE TO RUN DIFFERENTLY? (... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=4 4 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700  There's a big difference between talk and action. Lots of us talk a good story but can't actually get anything going on the ground. Then the moment of opportunity passes. Good enoug... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=11 11 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 I just read a strategic plan that has my blood boiling.  You could change the organization's name and have that strategic plan apply equally well to any membership driven organization in ... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=8 8 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Jeff Turnbull, outgoing president of the CMA, this week described the Canadian health care system as "deeply troubled".  He went on to describe a litany of well-known failings:  ... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=9 9 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Boards develop tyrants due to poor board management. One of the many reasons for having manageable-sized boards (15 to 20 members) is to increase the odds that they are managed. Boards need to be... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=10 10 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700 Every day we see and hear about errors in the workplace. In business, errors lose money. In healthcare, errors lose lives. In education, errors lose futures. Do you have a supportive ongoing progra... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=12 12 Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 New CEOs need to get their focal distance right: not too focused on implementation (that is staff work) and not too policy-only (this is board work). Experienced CEOs should reflect periodically on ... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=13 13 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 Now there's an idea! Declare a simple goal and engage a diverse collection of interested parties to refine the product through many iterations and variations in response to uptake and needs disco... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=14 14 Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800 Don't let aspirations of perfection prevent execution of actions "good enough" to achieve needed goals. There will always be someone with a tweak to suggest or an addition to insist o... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=15 15 Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 Does your organization have priorities? Do you know what they are, how they were identified and how they affect your work and your career path? When everything is a priority; nothing is. Everyone... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=16 16 Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 Why do we settle so easily for the crumbs, the easy wins, the "why bother" accomplishments? Can we not get past the repetitive ‘white papers', expert panels, the endless rounds of... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=17 17 Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800 When an organization is of sufficient size and matures enough to have paid staff, it is past the fragile founding stages that require daily operational involvement from member leaders. Organizational... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=18 18 Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 What should the board education curriculum be? Of course, start with what is causing trouble right now. Even with immediate attention to topics causing current difficulty, there should be a long-ter... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=19 19 Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 Board members don't gossip. Being a disciplined board member means more than not divulging board business. Do all your board members do their assigned homework for each meeting or assigned task?... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=20 20 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 What happens when part of a group expects to play hockey, others have practiced their basketball skills and the rest expect to be bystanders but are needed to make up a team? Chaos? Embarrassment?... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=21 21 Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 Chait, Holland & Taylor:   Principles: Board effectiveness is associated with successful explicit board attention to six critical dimensions of organizational function: 1. Cont... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=22 22 Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700 This approach is based on  Canadian Comprehensive Auditing Foundation principles: Effectiveness in a public organization is seen as a complex concept without simple definition or universal... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=23 23 Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 This is hands-down the best choice for almost all organizations. Developed by John Carver, there is a lot of written material and experience with this approach. Principles: Common organizat... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=24 24 Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 So you have decided to use the policy governance framework to organize roles and responsibilities within your organization. What now? First, remember why you are seeking an organizational framew... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=25 25 Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 Governance and program operations are not the same thing. Governance is board work; operations are staff work. Boards make policy; they delegate implementation. Boards define the outcomes (the &l... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=26 26 Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 Only the board itself has the authority and the responsibility to set rules for its own operation. Formulating these self-expectations should be a matter of considerable board discussion with caref... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=27 27 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 Organizations need shared leadership. Leadership is a lot of work. Principal leadership tasks for organizations are: 1. Visioning: see the future, exploit opportunities, take risks, allow for cre... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=28 28 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700 The Board Chair is the chief board officer. The responsibilities include: 1. lead and facilitate the work of the Board; 2. lead and facilitate the Board's relationship with the CEO include... http://www.currycorp.net/blog.html?id=29 29 Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700