Workshops/Seminars on Board Governance and Leadership These seminars are designed to assist individual organizations or participants from several organizations. They present research-based and anecdotal knowledge, plenary and group discussion of problems and case scenarios drawn from real life situations as well as individual and group tasks. All workshops are customized to fit the needs of your specific organization. They are typically offered in six-hour sessions but may be offered in abbreviated form as two- or three-hour seminars.

Sixteen Keys to Highly Successful Governance

Examines the critical steps that a board and CEO must take to ensure their organization is provided with sound leadership, direction, oversight and control to ensure that the purpose or mission is achieved and that there is proper accounting for the ethical conduct of its affairs, the efficient use of resources and the results of its activities. These steps are based on extensive research on the characteristics of high performance boards and organizations in both the non-profit and private sectors.     

Governing for Results: Almost Everything You Need to Know About Governance

A one-day seminar that examines everything boards ought to know about the structure and culture of their board and organization, their responsibilities as board members and the way they exercise them. The seminar is designed to give you practical benefit from extensive research and case studies on board 'governance' practices that correlate with effective organizational performance.

Learning Organizations

This half-day seminar explores the essential elements of a learning organization based on Peter Senge's book, Fifth Discipline and Robert L. Flood's Rethinking the Fifth Discipline as well as other contemporary treatises on leadership and organizational development . The session combines a presentation of the basic principles and discussion of how characteristics of your organization's leadership approach can adapt to accommodate these and become a 'learning organization'. Discuss how you might apply these principles to your organization.

Fitness Test for Boards

This is designed to assist boards of directors and CEO's identify the current state of governance in their organization, build on strengths and develop strategies for challenging those practices that need improvement. The Board Effectiveness Quick Check, designed to assist boards in identifying strengths and weaknesses in their approach to governance, is administered as a pre-seminar diagnostic. This one-day seminar is designed as a retreat for individual boards.

Searching for a Governance Model?

We'll help you find an approach that's right for your board and organization. You'll review several alternative governance models or board types, the essential elements of good governance, factors that you need to consider in determining the approach that's best for you and you'll develop a strategy for getting there. This is provided as either a seminar or a retreat for individual boards.

Governance Gremlins

This seminar will help you tame those vexatious problems that regularly plague boards of directors and drain energy away from important governance tasks. Participants will obtain assistance in dealing with their most troubling governance problems through an interactive process of dialogue and discovery sharing their own gremlins and examining examples drawn from research and the experience of seasoned leaders in organizational governance. This is offered as either a half-day or full-day seminar.

Building a Performance Measurement Culture Where are we going? How will we know when we get there? This seminar will provide you with the knowledge and tools necessary to assess the performance of your organization. You'll explore the difference between inputs, outputs and 'outcomes' as these concepts pertain to your organization. We'll help you set 'outcome' objectives designed to measure the real benefits that your organization provides to its consumers, public or other key constituencies. You'll explore means of measuring progress toward achieving your objectives. We'll help you get the most value out of your human and financial resources. This is provided as a seminar or a planning retreat for individual boards. It is also offered as part of an organizational review or strategic planning process.

 

RISK MANAGEMENT?

This half- to full-day seminar will help you identify potential risks and threats to your organization and develop a strategy for managing and minimizing them by analyzing your organization through the lens of an Enterprise Risk Management analytic framework. A comprehensive Risk Management Strategy is your best insurance, as important as next to your insurance policy itself! Designed for board members and senior staff.

LEARNING ORGANIZATIONS

This half-day seminar explores the essential elements of a learning organization based on Peter Senge's book, Fifth Discipline and Robert L. Flood’s Rethinking the Fifth Discipline as well as other contemporary treatises on leadership and organizational development. The session combines a presentation of the basic principles and discussion of how characteristics of your organization's leadership approach can adapt to accommodate these and become a 'learning organization'. Discuss how you might apply these principles to your organization.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Explore the core ingredients of successful leadership. This workshop draws on essentials of successful leadership drawn from research, personal experience and the works of authors such as Peter Urs Bender's Leadership from Within ; Rudy Giuliani's Leadership ; Steven Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People ; Robert Greenleaf's Servant Leadership ; John Heider's Tao of Leadership ; John Maxwell's The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership ; The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus by Eric Harvey , et. al.; Built to Last by Collins and Porras; and other Collins works: Good to Great to Great by Choice; First Break All the Rules by Buckingham and Coffman; Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Coleman; the collected works of Peter Drucker; and the latest insights on leadership from the Harvard Business Review featuring luminaries such as management guru, Henry Mintzberg . This workshop will allow participants to analyze their own leadership style and identify strategies for self-improvement.

ADVOCACY

This workshop offers strategies and tactics for effective advocacy. Participants will learn advocacy do’s and don’ts through discussion of real case examples. They will be provided an opportunity to discuss their own experiences with other participants and to build strategies and tactics for a current advocacy effort. Workshop leader, Mel Gill, has extensive experience in developing and leading Canada-wide advocacy initiatives on behalf of children, as well as provincially on behalf of children and persons with mental illnesses.

He was chair of the 1996 multi-sector national conference on “Canada’s Children – Canada’s Future” which brought together some 1200 participants from across the country. He authored the post-conference advocacy report, “Investing in Children – A Framework for Action” endorsed by some 40 organizations. He also chaired the Ontario Children’s Advocacy Committee in the lead-up to the 1995 provincial election. He was an active member of Campaign 2000 and the National Children’s Alliance.