Boards That Make a Difference

John Carver is known internationally as the creator of the breakthrough in board leadership called the Policy Governance Model. He has worked with boards in the United States and Canada as well as on four other continents for over twenty-five years. His clients have included the National Association of State Boards of Education, the National Ballet of Canada, the American Institute of Architects, the Pentagon Federal Credit Union, Lutheran World Relief and the American Cancer Society. He is author of the bi-monthly newsletter workshop Board Leadership and his books have sold over 250,000 copies around the world.

• Preface to the Third Edition viiPreface xiiiThe Author xxiiiPrologue: Beginning and Ending with Purpose xxviiIntroduction 11. Leadership by Governing Boards: A Vision of Group Accountability 52. Policy as a Leadership Tool: The Force of Explicit Values 373. Designing Policies That Make a Difference: Governing by Values 554. Focusing on Results: The Power of Purpose 795. Controlling Ethics and Prudence: What’s Not OK, Even if It Works 1156. Strong Boards Need Strong Executives: The Board-Executive Relationship 1537. The Board’s Responsibility for Itself: Governing Oneself Precedes Governing Others 1858. Officers and Committees: The Chief Governance Officer and Other Divisions of Board Labor 2159. Policy Development by Levels: Adding Details Judiciously 23910. Making Meetings Meaningful: Creating the Future More Than Reviewing the Past 25711. Maintaining Board Leadership: Staying on Track and Institutionalizing Excellence 28712. But Does It Work? Criticisms, Effectiveness Research, and Model Consistency 319Resource A: Varieties of Policy Governance Applications 345Resource B: Bylaws 365Resource C: Glossary 371References 379Index 405