Knowledge Center

Leading Your Nonprofit from Conscious Awareness

The Conscious Governance Knowledge Center provides easy access to an extensive collection of information, tools and advice regarding nonprofit governance and leadership. The Knowledge Center keeps you up-to-date on well-timed and hot issues affecting the sector, trends in board practices, and governance strategies to increase board effectiveness.

Conscious Governance Videos and Podcasts

This web page provides video and .mp3 resources that can be used for Board training, Board Induction and for general information.

To see more videos from the Conscious Governance Video collection

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO

Video: The Secrets of Reading Financial Reports

How should Directors look at Profit and Loss statements, what questions should they ask of Balance Sheets, and how do we present financial reports to focus Directors on the most strategic issues? Presented by Steven Bowman from Conscious-Governance.com.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE VIDEO

The Conscious CEO Podcasts

These audio podcasts provide insights into the skills and techniques that CEO's and Boards can utilize in performing their responsibilities. These short audio programs are used in many Boardrooms as Professional Development and discussion starters for Directors and staff. Where can you use them in your organization?

If you would like to download the Podcasts click here otherwise you can listen to them by clicking on play button.

14. What Boards Need to Know About Risk (15 min 21s) 7.03MB mp3 The Australian Institute of Company Directors interviews Steven Bowman on what Boards need to know about risk. Steven discusses what risk really is, the key problems Boards have with risk, how Boards should view risk, tips on identifying risk, and what Boards could be doing in tough economic times with risk. Warning...This interview is not what you think it is...Steven views risk from a very different point of view to most people.

which explores structuring Board reports so they are more strategic and focus the Board on key strategic issues. 

11. Relationship Between the Chair and CEO (5 min 38s) 2.7MB mp3 This episode explores how the Chair and the CEO can work together more productively. We discuss four key issues and how the conscious CEO can further improve their relationship with the Chair.

10. Conscious, Unconscious and Anti-Conscious States of Leadership (9 min 05s) 4.26MB mp3 This podcast describes the three states that a CEO or leader can choose to function as - conscious, unconscious or anti-conscious. There is also a discussion on what you can do, as a leader, to choose to be more aware and conscious. In particular there is a short discussion on how to choose prosperity consciousness over the scarcity paradigm, and its effect on decision making at all levels.

9. Conscious CEO-The CEO Syndrome (8 min 50s) 4.14MB mp3 The CEO Syndrome is one of the greatest threats facing leaders today-making decisions based on information that is partial, incomplete or filtered. This podcast describes how leaders create this situation, and the three tools we can use to prevent this from happening-receiving all without judgment, living as the question, and being interesting point of view.

8. The Secret to Using Risk as Strategic Advantage (10 min 50s) 2.54MB mp3 This podcast investigates what most CEOs misidentify as risk, and how reframing risk can lead to strategic opportunity for your organization. Strategies for risk identification and risk treatment are identified, and the Boards role in risk management is discussed.

7. Using Vision and Mission Statements to Unlock Innovation (11 min 30s) 2.77MB mp3 This podcast discusses how to create Vision statements that actually make a difference, how to use the Vision statement to unlock innovation, and how to embed the vision statement into the work of the Board, staff and organization.

6. Conscious CEO-Developing KPIs for Strategic Focus (5 min 27s) 981KB mp3 This podcast discusses the three types of KPIs for the CEO, and how to establish KPIs for the Board. It provides examples, and discusses the role of the annual report in moving the Board from being operational to being strategic.

5. Conscious CEO-Using Board Evaluations-The Secrets (5 min 17s) 931KB mp3 This podcast discusses how to develop Board Evaluations, what questions to ask, how to analyse the responses, and what to do with the results so that the Board can move to a more strategic focus./p>

4. Conscious CEO-Questions that Make Difference (6 min 08s) 1.08MB mp3 This podcast talks about how to live as the question, and which questions provide strategic insight and open up further possibilities. The tools provided here can fundamentally change how a CEO interacts with the Board and staff.

3. Conscious CEO-Strategic Board Agenda (6 min 24s) 1.13MB mp3 This podcast discusses the role of the Board agenda, and how to embed the strategic plan into the work of the Board.

2. Conscious CEO-Strategic Plans (5 min 12s) 916KB mp3 This podcast discusses the role of the strategic plan in assisting Boards to be more strategic, including structuring agendas, reports and accountability.

1. Moving your Board from Operational to Strategic Intro (4 min 18s) 756KB mp3 Moving your Board from Operational to Strategic provides you with 7 key strategies that will turn your Board into a more strategic decision making entity, and your Board members into more expansive strategic thinkers.

"CoreStrategies4NonProfits" Audio Clips:

Dr Terrie Temkin, one of the USA's preeminent strategists in the nonprofit sector, provides valuable information capable of feeding important discussion around the Board table. And, these audio clips can be heard in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. Hear Steven Bowman, Dr Terrie Temkin and other guests discuss key issues for nonprofits. Click here to listen or download the "CoreStrategies4NonProfits" audio clips.

Research Papers:

Research on the Non-Profit and Scocial Sector

Daring to Lead: This is a National Study of Nonprofit Executive Leadership conducted by CompassPoint Nonprofit Services and The Meyer Foundation. Daring to Lead 2006, is a study based on a survey of nearly 2,000 executive directors in eight metropolitan areas throughout the U.S., reports that three out of four nonprofit executive directors are likely to leave their jobs within the next five years. The report is available for free from Meyer Foundation.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF [PDF, 595KB]

New Face of Work Survey: The MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures New Face of Work Survey is the first to ask boomers now in their 50s what kind of work they want to do. The result: 58 percent of those in their 50s are interested in taking jobs now and in retirement that help improve the quality of life in their communities. The MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures New Face of Work Survey is available for download for free.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF [PDF 1.18 MB]

The Boomers' Guide to Good Work: This is a new guide to help Boomers look for jobs in areas facing critical shortages The guide was written by Ellen Freudenheim the author of a popular retirement lifestyle book recommended in The Wall Street Journal. The guide is a 16-page pamphlet designed to help boomers think about new careers – whether full or part time in the second half of life, The Boomer's Guide to Good Work is available free online

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF

Managing Through Challenges: The Stanford Project on the Evolution of Nonprofits (SPEN), This is a major research initiative of the Center for Social Innovation at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. The report profiles the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, California, and national nonprofit sectors and discusses critical management issues facing the sector.Download a free report from Center for Social Intervention Standford University Get the report [520 KB]