Issue No. 27 of Your Weekly Staff Meeting features the 27th book I’ve recommended in this eNews. Here’s an idea: buy three to four of my book recommendations each month—but don’t read them all. Delegate your reading! Challenge each of your direct reports to read one book a month and give a three-minute review at a future staff meeting. Ray Bradbury said, “You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."
Which sentence grabs you? “Deficits will badly affect the economy,” or “Deficits will spread a subtle, devastating poison through the economic bloodstream.”
Even if you’re not interested in deficits, the “poison” picture has arrested your curiosity. That’s from the “Paint a Picture” chapter in Milo O. Frank’s 128-page power book, How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds—or Less.
He writes, “Communicating effectively, persuasively, and concisely can be easily learned. (This book) will show you how to get your listener’s attention, keep his interest, tell a wonderful story, ask for and get what you want—all in 30 seconds. You will be able to get your point across to business associates, your family, your friends and all the people you deal with from the secretary to the accountant to the president of the company. Follow the simple steps outlined in this book. Use the easy techniques. You’ll save time and accomplish more that you ever thought possible. And you’ll have fun doing it.”
Guess what? The above paragraph takes just 30 seconds to read out loud. If you want to be more effective in your thinking, writing, speaking, preaching, and teaching, and in keeping conversations on track, leading meetings, facilitating listening, reinforcing presentations, interviewing and preparing all forms of communication—buy the book in the next 30 seconds!
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
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1. Who would enjoy giving our organization’s “Elevator Speech” in 30 seconds or less today? I have a Starbucks gift card for the best presentation.
2. Today, I’d like you to read the first paragraph of our last newsletter and re-write the opening so a picture jumps out!
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Insights from the Management Buckets Workshop Experience
When you got up this morning, your first thought was likely, “I’d like a board governance model named after me!” Not. Well, John Carver actually named it the Policy Governance model, but most folks call it the Carver Governance model. Here are some resources to help you understand and communicate this model to your team and your board.
All thoughtful board members must understand the model—whether or not they agree with it. “The board speaks with one voice or not at all,” is Carver’s Principle 2 (of 10). It’s my favorite and the most difficult for most board members. For a quick overview, read The Carver Series on Effective Board Governance, 12 booklets, published by Jossey-Bass. CarverGuide 1 is Basic Principles of Board Governance, which highlights his 10 principles.
Check out the Policy Governance website for a complete listing of resources, training and materials from John Carver. In our Management Buckets Workshop Experience, we drill down into the policy governance model in The Board Bucket segment and help you integrate it with the 20 Critical Competencies Required for Leading and Managing Today’s Nonprofit Organization.
Email me to reserve space in the May 9-10 Management Buckets workshop or the May 11 Nonprofit Board Governance workshop, both planned for Orange County, California.
Your Weekly Staff Meeting Questions:
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1. Carver teaches that “Board decisions should predominantly be policy decisions,” yet many board members are recruited for their volunteer expertise, not their policy-making acumen. Is this a problem in our organization?
2. When is the last time you prayed specifically for each of our board members, by name?
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