Boards that attend to vision are more certain
to address that which has enduring importance.

John Carver

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there, but if you want to maximize the impact of your association on its industry, you need a focused approach, a road map and accountability in the vision. Sue Stratton-Radwan will work with you to develop your association's vision and mission statement, then follow through with a step-by-step strategic plan to achieve your vision. The finished plan will include timelines, delegation and how to evaluate progress and success. A unique aspect of Leading Edge facilitation is that the Board focuses on Governance and Leadership concerns and considers how the committee structure can bring a value-added role to the initiatives. As a result, the Board reviews the governance role as well as the means of the association. Support services available include member survey construction. The final report, of course, is prepared by Leading Edge Mentoring.

A unique quality of Stratton’s facilitation is that she walks with the group in its process. During the process, Stratton-Radwan works to synthesize the individual contributions and develop a simple statement that conceptually captures the sentiments of the group.

Dreaming is not only permissible for leaders, it is obligatory.
Yet Board members lose their vision as they tend to operational issues.

John Carver

Ultimately, the board is responsible for its own development, its own job design, its own discipline, and its own performance. But nothing changes if nothing changes. Shifting the attention of the Board is a process which takes training and consistent focus of the organization's leadership. Leading Edge Mentoring can provide the third party voice which helps the Board to realize its proper role as the moral trustees of their industry, focused on broad strategic direction and connection to the community membership.

Elected Leader Education content might include:

• The Nature of Associations
• Roles & Responsibilities of the Board
• Aligning the Board and Committee Communication
• Introduction to Policy Governance®
• Enhancing the Board's Group Process
• Team Building
• Skills to Govern

Here are some testimonials from recent attendees of Sue's workshops and clients:

• Sue is inspiring.  She knows her stuff.  I try to catch every class she leads!
• Sue is always enlightening and I always come away from a “Sue Class” enriched and better for spending time in her presence.
• Relaxed and interesting speaker.
• I like how Susan found out a little about us prior to the workshop so that she could address the different issues that the majority of us were facing.
• Sue was excellent.  Her information was presented in a concise, thorough and understandable manner.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, a good comment collector and redirector.
• A good orator
• Forward thinker
• Sue, this is a chance to say that knowing you and the commitment that you have for your work and efforts to make a change, as if it was your home, is very inspiring and provides faith that the future carries better life to us all, even across the continents. Randa Muasher, Amman, Jordan
• We wanted you to know how pleased we were with your presentation last evening.  You did a great job with your overview of policy governance and linking it to the Girl Scout documents!  I was very impressed! 
• “…thanks for your excellent coaching.  This is the most rigorous thing I've done in years and your support and tips really serve as guideposts.”

• Is your Board confused about what its job really is?
• Has your Board lost sight of its duty to the membership?
• Is your Board stuck in operations and micromanagement?
• Are the structural boundaries of your organization caving in or nonexistent?
• Is the energy of your Board stagnant?
• Do you ever think there just has to be a better way?

If you answered "yes" to any or all of the questions above, Policy Governance® just may be the answer you are seeking. Attend an "Intro to Policy Governance®" session with key Board people to evaluate if there is something in the model for you to explore further. Contact Sue Stratton-Radwan at (517) 627-1856 for current dates and locations. If your Board is already a Policy Governance® Board, consider Leading Edge services to help educate and maintain the board's focus on responsible and rational governance. Policy audit, Ends facilitation, Board assessment and Board coaching services are available.

• Professional Educational Curriculum Design
• Distance Education Course Design
• Facilitation of Community Dialogue
• Vision Facilitation
• Team Building
• Coaching the Public Speaker
• Coaching the Board in Effective Group Process
• Style Analysis Profiling