What questions should Trustees ask of themselves?
Julia Unwin (Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation) gave a speech at the Charity Trustee Network back in 2007, that is as relevant today as it was then.
Every Trustee or Committee Member should take a few minutes to read it through.
Julia considered the issue – What questions Trustees should ask.
She turned this into three questions:
– why are we here?
– who are we?
– what are we doing?
Her answers are deep reaching and I believe every committee, board and trustee should be asking these questions (regularly?) to ensure that they are keeping on purpose, understand their roles and are making their governance practices the very best they can be.
I’ve long suggested groups ask themselves the 5 S’s – Stretch, Support, Strategy, Scrutiny and Stewardship. These five S’s come out clearly in Julia’s speech. I’m using these with boards I work with, and I find them effective. You should too.
But I think if you also ask yourself – who are we? – and put your answers into the contexts she outlines in the talk, then you’ll be better equipped to know yourself and your board.
Please take the time to read the speech again and work out how to apply it to your own governance practices.
The original link to the speech is here, or download the .pdf here.