Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header about About Home Profiles articles Tools forums inspirational quotes About facebook Twitter YouTube Blog

board member Tagged Articles



Think Smart When Volunteering As A Board Member
Today with everyone’s busy schedule, charities are finding it difficult to attract good leaders as board members to sit on their boards or committees. Good volunteers with skills that can help a not for profit organization are difficult to find. Outlined below are some of fact finding items that I look for in a not for profit organization that I would like to see before making any initial commitment to participate on a board.
Managing Emotions Under Pressure
I got the following note the other day from a friend: After reading your latest post on Board Room Rules, I started thinking about the pressures that entrepreneurs experience starting, growing and managing start-up companies (whether it's their first company or their fifth.) So I wonder if you as an investor/board member/partner/cheerleader have ever had to counsel your entrepreneurs on this topic and if so what advice did you dispense?
Recruiting a New Director
In the life of most companies with an active board of directors, it occasionally becomes necessary to recruit a new director.
Strategy vs. Fundamentals
Creating companies is hard. Most fail. Overnight success is rare (my favorite “overnight success stories” are the ones that take 10+ years, like iRobot or Harmonix.) While strategy plays a key part in the outcome of an entrepreneurial venture, the fundamentals matter a lot. Take the following parable that I got from a friend recently.
Give Your VCs Assignments
Over the weekend, Mark Suster wrote a great post titled How To Communicate with your Investors between Board Meetings. Mark continues to just tear it up with great advice for entrepreneurs. However, he left out one thing from the post – which is one of my favorite pieces of advice for entrepreneurs. Give your venture capitalists (and board members) assignments Mark alludes to this in many of his suggestions but he never comes out and says it. And, amazingly to me, many entrepreneurs either don’t ever think of this or don’t feel comfortable doing it. They should.
Turning Back Time: Biver’s Watches Make a Comeback
“We bought Blancpain at the end of 1981,” recalls Biver, “and started to develop the brand from zero in 1982 with the concept that we would never make a quartz watch, because we would stick to and develop only and exclusively the traditional watch-making art.”
Resumes That Work
If you are looking for a job, writing a resume is one of the first steps you need to take. The goal of a resume is to get you in the door with prospective employers. And, you have about 30 seconds to grab the reader's attention. As the former Manager of Staffing for a Fortune 500 company, certified career counselor, and board member of several nonprofit organizations, I have reviewed thousands of resumes. Based upon my experience, here are ten tricks of the trade for writing a winning resume.

Preparing for the Strategic Planning Retreat - A Checklist
Every nonprofit organization should conduct strategic planning on a regular basis, as strategic plans outline what action steps the organization will take in the future to sustain and grow their operation, while adhering to their mission. Many organizations focus attention on conducting the strategic planning session and developing a plan, but don't allocate sufficient time to prepare for the planning retreat. Taking time to adequately prepare for a strategic planning session can help the actual event to run much more smoothly and efficiently, resulting in greater productivity. This article provides a checklist of items to consider in preparing for your next strategic planning retreat.

The Board's Role in Fundraising
“Should my board help me raise funds?” The obvious answer is yes, of course they should! Now comes the hard part. Getting the board to actually raise money is a lot tougher than simply saying they should. Many nonprofits, of all sizes and types of mission, overlook the basic steps necessary to engage the board in effective fundraising.

Top Five Responsibilities of Nonprofit Board Members
I have seen effective and ineffective boards of directors. Good boards of directors are clear about their roles and responsibilities versus those of the Executive Director, and they don't overstep their boundaries. This article highlights what I consider are the five most important responsibilities of board members.
Board Member Job Descriptions - Which Roles and Responsibilities Should You Include?
Prior to developing a job description for board members, take time to determine what you expect from them. What roles should they adopt and which tasks, projects, and activities do you want them to be responsible for? This article provides some items you should consider including in board member job descriptions.
C-Level Sales Management - Who’s Ready for More Sales
To get sales up, you’ve got to get help. Why, because you need it. If you didn’t and you knew what to do, you would have done it already, and more sales wouldn't be an issue. This article will tell you what to do.
Potentially the Safest Forex Play in the Entire FX World!
SNB Governing Board Member Thomas Jordan, was quoted as saying that the SNB will continue to intervene and halt any gains by the Swiss currency. And so far, they’ve been highly successful.

How to Disagree with the Boss
The interaction between General U.S. Grant and General William T. Sherman illustrates an effective way to disagree with someone in a power position. This historical incident shows one way to diplomatically comply with the wishes of a boss prior to suggesting alternatives.

Is Your Sales Model Effective? Know Your Salesforce ABC's
What happens when you compare a model like Deborah's - if you're gonna go hunting you'd better come back with dinner - with a model that has its salespeople making 3 sales calls per day, or around 60 per month? Do you think those salespeople come back with 60 new customers or orders per month? No chance! They probably sell 10. That's why they're on so many calls. What would happen if you told those salespeople that you only wanted them to go on 30 calls per month, but you want them to be a lot more selective, and you expected them to close 50% instead of 10%?
Understand Your Roles
How many hats do you wear? Well, not literally, of course. You hear that phrase all of the time. Wearing many hats. What that essentially means is that in life, we all have different roles that we play in different groups. If you don't consider those roles, it can cause you time management issues down the line.
The Hidden Key to a Successful Direct-Marketing Package
In This Issue: The Hidden Key to a Successful Direct-Marketing Package Understand how the unique sales proposition boosts the power of your sales package. Quick Tip: 2 Free Online Calendars Free online calendars that can help you manage your time.

Succession Planning Tricks in Your Business and Organization
Succession planning, in any business, is vital to avoid major challenges when a key person leaves their key position. Taking the time to build a succession planning strategy doesn't take that long, so here are a few ideas that will get you started.
4 Ways to Ensure Your Business Thrives
What’s the biggest problem facing your organization? Inadequate funding? Burnout of employees, volunteers, board members? Lack of vision? Overwhelming workload? Many, many organizations face these issues. But if you think “Well, that’s just the nature of this kind of work,” think again. These problems are often symptoms indicating that an organization has slipped into what I call a culture of endurance. Please note that endurance is not the same as perseverance. When organizations persevere, everyone may work long hours and get by on a shoestring, but employees, volunteers, board members, and general membership all feel energized, enthusiastic, and united by a common goal/mission. When companies or nonprofits are in endurance, however, they exhibit some typical symptoms:
Busy, frantically busy or unbelievably busy?
Learning the art of the impossible – how to be a relaxed PR person with time for the big things that do count

Other board member Related Articles

PDF Your Board Package
Thankfully I no longer get fedexed binders of board packages from my portfolio companies in advance of a board meeting. Through the modern miracle of email, the board packages show up in my inbox – hopefully a few days (rather than a few hours – or even minutes) before the board meeting. The board packages tend to show up in three different formats – one that is easy to deal with, one that is ok, and one that sucks.
Board Meeting Rules
Following are some board meeting rules that were recently presented to me and my fellow board members by a CEO at one of his first board meetings at a newly funded early stage company. I thought they were brilliant. Feel free to pass them out at your next board meeting.
Managing Emotions Under Pressure
I got the following note the other day from a friend: After reading your latest post on Board Room Rules, I started thinking about the pressures that entrepreneurs experience starting, growing and managing start-up companies (whether it's their first company or their fifth.) So I wonder if you as an investor/board member/partner/cheerleader have ever had to counsel your entrepreneurs on this topic and if so what advice did you dispense?
A Strategic Look At Dos and Donts of Board Meeting Minutes From Your Strategic Thinking Business Coach
Do you serve on a board of directors and experience significant inaccuracies and inconsistencies in board minutes? Do you know that board minutes are really a very important resource to governing boards? Minutes of board meetings provide evidence that a board has exercised care in decision-making. The minutes also substantiate that a board is operating in accordance with its Bylaws and other documents and rules. Although there is recognition that board minutes are important, many organizations continue to have inadequate records of board meetings. Your strategic thinking business coach offers a list of the DO’s and DON’Ts of board meeting minutes.

Daily Data
I had a call this morning with a CEO of a young company I’m on the board of. They are well funded so they have plenty of urgency, but no panic, around what they are doing. During the conversation, he asked what he could do to increase the board member’s visibility of the progress they are making.

Potentially the Safest Forex Play in the Entire FX World!
SNB Governing Board Member Thomas Jordan, was quoted as saying that the SNB will continue to intervene and halt any gains by the Swiss currency. And so far, they’ve been highly successful.

Board Member Job Descriptions - Which Roles and Responsibilities Should You Include?
Prior to developing a job description for board members, take time to determine what you expect from them. What roles should they adopt and which tasks, projects, and activities do you want them to be responsible for? This article provides some items you should consider including in board member job descriptions.
Nonprofit Board Member Manuals - What Should You Include?
When you have a board of directors, it is always a good idea to have a Board Member Manual. A Manual is a great tool for board members to use when they need quick and easy access to critical information about the organization. It compiles important documents into one binder, so they don't waste time and energy looking for what they need in several files or locations. Does your organization have a manual for its board members?
Your Internal Board of Directors ... Part II: Red Flags, Green Lights and Wisdom
If you are not paying attention to your gut, a built-in resource, you are ignoring a wise member of your Internal Board of Directors. To do so can be at great peril to yourself and/or your business.

What You Don’t Know about the NLRB Could Hurt You and Your Employees
It is safe to say that relatively few employers and even fewer employees can accurately identify the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and describe its role. Yet this five-member panel is about to transform the nature of the workplace.
Featured Article

Bottom Footer



Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

Leading with Discernment

Basic Operating Question (BOQ) for Empowerment

Providing Feedback
Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.