AISSA Program Chairing Skills for Governors Workshop # 1 Roles and Relationships

Virginia Hickey 13 June 2012

Agenda

• Role of board/ management • Role of the Chair ( board/ committee) – at meetings – surrounding meetings – relationships • Reflections

Role of the Chair

“The Chairman’s primary role is to lead the board and ensure its effectiveness whilst the CEO is responsible for running the organisation's business”

Question: How does this statement translate to school boards and principals?

ROLE OF THE BOARD

School Governance Models

Single Tier Board

Board Sub Committees

• Finance • Property • Development • Policy and Planning • Audit and Risk

Principal Executives Teaching/Academic

• Deputies • Head of Schools

Business / Administration

• Bursars • Business Managers

Stakeholders

Students Church Parents Old Scholars Congregation Religious Education Councils Prospective Students SCHOOL Teachers Commonwealth Government Education Department Local Government Community Friends Staff

Board & Senior Executive Cooperation

• The Board directs and supervises the management of the business • The managers conduct the day-to-day affairs of the company • Well-defined protocols are also essential

Role of the Board

Accountability Strategy



Stakeholders



Regulators



Funders



Set corporate direction



Initiate / review strategic planning



Develop high level KPI’s Conformance Monitoring



Review results



Exec performance



Risk and Compliance Monitoring



Corrective actions Principal

    

Performance Policy Approve budgets Executive performance Decide corporate policy Risk Management and Compliance Corporate culture

Adapted from R I Tricker, International Corporate Governance, p149

Table Discussion 1

1. In which quadrant does your Board spend most time?

2. Where should your Board spend more time?

3. What action could the chair take?

Table Discussion 2 What do you think is the role of (a)the board chair?

(b)a chair of a sub committee?

Role of the Board Chair

To ensure that Board

• Is well lead • Has balanced membership • Sets strategy and policy • Monitors achievement of goals • Reviews resources • Has information it needs • Works effectively with management

Legal Responsibilities of Chair Does the Chairman have additional legal responsibilities?

An officer “ must at all times act with reasonable care and diligence in the exercise of his or her powers and the discharge of the duties of his or her office .”

Associations Act s 39A

Role of the Chair

   Activities surrounding board meetings Chairing board meetings Relationships Table Discussion 3: As Chair, what is the range of activities as do you engage in?

What do you think are the most crucial things you do as chair?

At Board Meetings

• Time/agenda • Culture/tone • Discussion • Draw out contributions • Summarise/clarify • Meet needs of board and Principal • Strategic issues

• • • • • • • •

Activities surrounding board meetings

Agenda Information flows/reports Minutes Follow up on implementation Policy manual Induction program Board evaluation Committees

Relationships

• Mentor and coach to Principal • Principal performance management • Board member relations • Stakeholder relationships • Representing the school • Responding to critical incidents • Media

Table Discussion 4 • What is the secret to a good constructive relationship between the Chair and the Principal?

Summary – Role of the Chair

The Chair is     Leader Facilitator Coach Ambassador

Reflections and Actions

1 What insights have you had about the role of the Chair?

2 What actions are you going to take?

3 What support will you seek?

Learning Cycle

Reflection Insight Experience Experiment

Workshop # 2

• • • • Delve further into the ‘how to’ Tools to assist chairing meetings effectively Chairing styles Skills for chairing Managing group decision making processes  26 July 2012

Close

Author

Virginia Hickey Director @ the Board Table Pty Ltd BA, LLD (Melbourne University), FAICD

Virginia is a corporate governance consultant and lawyer. Virginia is a director on a number of government, private and not for profit boards, and was formerly a partner of a Finlaysons Lawyers, specialising in directors’ and officers and auditors’ liability. Virginia advises and facilitates directors in performing their roles of monitoring and supervising as well as setting the strategic direction of the company.

She is a national facilitator for the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been the Governance Advisor to the Le@rning Federation, a major Commonwealth, State and Territory governments initiative.

Contact Details Telephone Mobile Email 08 8211 6495 0407 717728 [email protected]