Does Your Board Model Performance Excellence?

It’s no secret that an organization must have strong leadership to achieve excellence.  John C. Maxwell said, “A leader is one that knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way” .  The highest level of leadership in many organizations is the Board of Directors (“Boards”), yet there are very few professional development opportunities designed specifically for Boards.  

Recognizing this need, the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services (UT CIS) developed a Board Excellence Certification and Professional Development Program. Board participation in these UT CIS programs models a commitment to excellence and sends a strong message to the  leadership, workforce, customers, and stakeholders of any organization. 

The foundation of the Board Excellence Certification and Professional Development Program  is the Governance Elements, which are based on the Baldrige Framework for Excellence. The Program is customized to each Board’s needs by incorporating organization or industry specific standards. For example, a local workforce board’s Governance Elements include federal requirements under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.  A healthcare client’s governance elements might include accreditation standards specific to board roles or might include board bylaws. 

A Board may elect to pursue a formal commitment to excellence in a combination of ways.  Some Boards choose to seek certification through the UT CIS program, others choose to seek certification and receive customized professional development to capitalize on their strengths and address opportunities.  Other boards may opt to focus only on professional development. Regardless of the focus of a Board, their customized program is based on a set of governance elements, an assessment, recommendations, and best practices. 

The full Board Excellence Certification and Professional Development Program includes:  a Board self-assessment survey, an assessment of policy, process, execution, effectiveness, and performance including threshold ratings, executive summary and detailed report of strengths and opportunities, professional development outline, best practices resources, and formal Board Excellence Certification from UT IPS. 

Could your Board of Directors and organization benefit from  modeling excellence via the Board Excellence Certification and Professional Development Program?  Contact tamera.parsons@tennessee.edu for more information.