“Lessons learned from 30 years at the board table.”
So read the headline in the GLOBE AND MAIL published Monday, November 22, 2010 and written by a Paul Tellier.
Apparently, Mr. Tellier has some 30 years of board experience while sitting on 14 different boards.
He has come up with 10 different reasons on effective and ineffective board governance.
His number one flaw on boards is:
“The chairman is not sufficiently inclusive. Some chairs tend to create two classes of directors and favour an inner circle without the equal involvement of all. This is a waste of talent which could eventually create tensions.”
As some present and former board members including me may agree, this flaw is/was practiced on the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF). There was definitely an inner circle…ensuring a life-time tenure of the current CEO/President, Georges Erasmus. The AHF will close activities in 2012, 14 years after its establishment. This time period will ensure Georges will be the one and only CEO/President. Good for him as he will benefit with over a million dollars in compensation plus benefits. This, going with not experiencing one day of residential school and special thanks to his inner circle. Of course, his inner circle had created tensions as Mr. Tellier had predicted.
