Wednesday August 12, 2009

I recently attended the Armtech Conference for Risk Retention Pools in San Diego, CA.  As part of the conference I had the opportunity to sit-in on a preconference workshop on corporate governance given by Michelle Murphy, President of InnoPro Performance Solutions (www.innoprosolutions.com).

Part of Michelle's presentation focused on the characteristics of high-performing Boards.  I have excerpted a piece from her presentation which is presented below because GEM's Board of Directors is currently working through a formal assessment process for itself.  As the GEM Board and other corporate boards consider ways to measure performance, these attributes may provide criteria for determining how effective the Board is in conducting its business.

Characteristics of Boards with strong team identity and commitment:

1. Loyalty to other Board members
2. Willingness to maintain stated commitments
3. Strong orientation toward achievement of organizational goals/visioin
4. Supportive behavior and high morale
5. Diverse individual Board member capabilities
6. Appreciation for fun as part of a productive organization

I'm sure that there are other attributes that could be considered for this list; however I think these six capture the essense of how a Board should operate and builds mutual trust.

» Posted by John M. Foehl, Jr. at 3:33 PM