Author: Doug Eadie

“What can I do to get my board meaningfully engaged in leading innovation and change in my organization?”  I hear variations of this very important question quite often from CEOs in my one-on-one governance coaching sessions and educational workshops.   There’s no simple answer, but the indispensable first step is to make sure you understand what’s

“But we’ve always put our annual budget together in the board’s finance committee, and it’s worked well.  Why in heaven’s name would we want to fold budgeting into the strategic and operational planning committee you’ve recommended?”  This was only one of fifteen or twenty questions that participants raised about the recommended new board committee structure

“What makes women such effective board members?” That question came up over a glass of wine at the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) reception held at the Transportation Research Board conference this past January. Apparently, boards comprised of men and women have a superior track record compared to those run entirely by men. Several recent studies

It’s a fact of nonprofit organizational life that many, if not most, board members are not passionately committed to developing the capacity of their board to govern. In my experience, sad to say, many are not even particularly interested in the subject of board development. A CEO who wants to get her board engaged in

In the informative and fascinating podcast Ben Limmer, new Chief Executive Officer at the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART), recorded for this blog last week he describes the professional path he traveled on the way to the top spot at HART. Ben also explains how he determined that his transit experience and executive leadership

Thinking about Senator John McCain this morning – along with millions of my fellow Americans and admirers around the world – reminded me of the critical role that character plays in leadership. Whether one agreed with Senator McCain on one issue or another, I’m sure the overwhelming majority of Americans considered the Senator from Arizona

In Chicago recently to present a program for nonprofit chief executives on board-CEO relations, I made a side trip to visit a well-regarded nonprofit corporation, Smith Crossing, a retirement community southwest of the city.  During my brief visit, I had the opportunity to observe a master teacher – and leader – in action:  Kay Sue

The innovation process – and the role of the chief executive as your organization’s “Chief Innovation Officer” – has been a major focus of this blog, and several posts have featured real-life cases of successful implementation of significant innovation initiatives. Our focus on innovation makes the best of sense in light of the challenges facing

I’ll be in Chicago this coming weekend, speaking to around 300 chief executives from all over the country about practical ways to build and maintain a really healthy, enduring board-CEO partnership that can withstand the inevitable stresses and strains at the top of every nonprofit and public organization.  I’ll be urging the CEOs in my

Sue Buchholtz, then President & CEO of The Spring, a nonprofit serving victims of domestic violence, made a vivid impression when I first met her in early 2002, shortly after my wife Barbara and I had relocated to Tampa Bay from the Dallas area. Sue was participating in a roundtable of nonprofit CEOs I’d assembled