One Minute Governance

Is it *really* possible for boards to impact organizational culture?   SCRIPT A lot has been said and written about the impact that boards have, or at least might have, over organizational culture. A lot of what’s been written and said happens in the wake of some culture-related meltdown like at Wells Fargo, or Boeing, for example. Where was the board? How could they have been so blind? If only th...

Could it be possible for governance to be *so* good that the quality of the people don't even matter?   SCRIPT One of the most common reactions so far to my definition of good governance as “the act of intentionally creating effective conditions for making decisions” is that I might be discounting the importance excellent people. In other words, I might be implying that if we create the right cond...

Or maybe the better question is "what *isn't* good leadership worth?"   SCRIPT Way back in episode 54 I wondered about how we could possibly know how much to pay a CEO if we don’t know their compensation floor. In other words, if we don’t know how low a CEO’s pay can go before they will quit, or at least start to under-perform, then we are missing a critical variable to understanding the range of...

I'm kinda obsessed with re-thinking the layout of boardrooms. Here's why.   SCRIPT If you’re super attentive, you might have noticed me referring a few times this season to the impact of boardroom layout on good governance. This episode is where I admit that I’m kinda OBSESSED with the idea of re-thinking boardrooms. You remember last episode when I said 1000% improvement can come from 1% change?...

Despite the emergence of a sizeable corporate governance "industry," so much about boards hasn't changed at all.   SCRIPT The main thing that’s evolved around corporate governance during my 20+ years in the space is that there’s now an “industry” around it. What I mean is that there’s a big system of people – including me – who have found ways to make money by hanging around in the orbit of corpor...

Compliance is important, but more emphasis on compliance means less emphasis on good governance.   SCRIPT Earlier this season in episode 104 I confessed that the 20 years of work I did on board ratings was maybe not optimally spent. The heart of the problem is that I was one of many who were perpetuating a false equivalence between good governance and compliance, or in my case good governance and...

Are a set of 150-year-old parliamentary rules really applicable in a typical boardroom?   SCRIPT I was with a board recently, engaged in a conversation about what “good governance” is (surprise, surprise!). One of the board members asked me where Robert’s Rules of Order fit into good governance. If you don’t know about Roberts’s Rules, take a second to Google them. Anyway, it’s a perfectly fair qu...

It was only a few months ago that I proposed my definition of "good governance," and I've already changed my mind.   SCRIPT I know it’s only been, like, three months since episode 102 where I offered a definition of “good governance.” Well, I’m excited to say that I already think I got it wrong. I’ve had a slight, yet significant, shift in perspective thanks to reactions that I’ve received from cl...

I'm HUGELY grateful to all of you for listening and caring about OMG. So grateful, in fact, that I'm asking you for something more: please consider "liking," following, subscribing, reviewing, and spreading the word.    SCRIPT It’s sincerely amazing to me that we’re so close to 150 episodes of OMG. Any of you who know what it’s like to put literally anything out into the world – a product or servi...

In stark disagreement with my past self from episode 92, I don't think a regular old skills matrix is good for anything. Here's what I think we can do better.   SCRIPT Less than a year ago, back in December 2021, in episode 92 of this podcast I said the words “I actually really like the standard skills matrix, as long as it’s well-defined and regularly updated.” And I proposed adding a new feature...

I keep hearing leaders talk about the increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity in the world. I think we might be missing something...maybe even an important opportunity.   SCRIPT Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous. VUCA. It resonates, doesn’t it? Whether you’re talking about just some schmo like you or me, or a complex organization, things just *feel* VUCA, right? And it’...

Boards often don't look for the best directors, and so the people who could be the best directors don't ever consider being on boards. A vicious circle!   SCRIPT Since I started studying corporate governance back in 2001, a lot has changed in the way that most boards approach the identification and recruitment of new board members. Some of this has been driven by new regulations requiring greater...

A friend recently suggested to me that literally everyone in an organization is part of corporate governance, and I *love* the idea!   SCRIPT I had an amazing conversation with a young person who, despite his age, is a legitimately experienced corporate director and a bit of a provocateur. You can already imagine how much I like him. If you’re interested in learning more, head over to the latest e...

I'm only just now getting to Adam Grant's Think Again and omg its such a useful governance book.   SCRIPT OK so all you governance nerds out there are probably *way* ahead of me on this one, but I’m only just now getting to Adam Grant’s Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know. It’s an amazing synthesis of all the great work out there on why thinking is only really great when accompan...

Rule nerds are the best. They make me feel like I have a superpower, and you should take really good care of the rule nerds in your organization.   SCRIPT I frequently have the privilege of working with groups of incredibly smart and experienced people on interesting projects, engaging conversations, and fun exercises. The luckiest organizations, in my opinion, have at least one person in the room...

Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault Background Resources: Hockey Canada Mission & Mandate https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/corporate/about/mandate-mission Wikipedia "Hockey Canada Sexual Assault Scandal": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_Canada_sexual_assault_scandal Globe & Mail "Hockey Canada used player fees to build a second fund for sexual assault claims": https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...

One valid criticism of my positions on corporate governance is that I don't really pay much attention to the rules. Or to ethics or morality, to be honest. Does that matter?   SCRIPT My positions regarding corporate governance, and especially GOOD governance leave me vulnerable to a great deal of valid criticism. If you’re not familiar with those positions, have a listen to episodes 2 and 102 resp...

People need power to get things done, but even having a LOT of authority doesn't mean you'll have any power. This is a critical thing to understand if we want to understand corporate governance.   SCRIPT A few episodes ago I cross-posted the first episode of the Sound-Up Governance podcast featuring Professor Tiziana Casciaro from the Rotman School of Management, where I worked for 20ish years. It...

I think the lessons in Randall Munroe's "Thing Explainer" are more important to effective management than any other book I've read.   SCRIPT To be honest, I *much* prefer reading fiction to reading management or leadership books. I’m leaning even further in that direction the more I disagree with my past self. Like, I have written – or caused other people to write – so much stuff about corporate g...

I really *do* think that corporate governance is fundamentally broken. But I'm not too worried about it. All we need to do is shift our focus a bit.   SCRIPT When I launched Ground-Up Governance a couple of weeks back, I wrote an intro piece that began by stating, “Corporate governance is broken.” And I sincerely meant it – and still do! Funny thing is that despite being a dramatic thing to say, I...

This is the last crossover episode between OMG and Sound-Up Governance, a new podcast on the Ground-Up Governance platform ( www.groundupgovernance.com ). In this one, Matt Fullbrook speaks with Lisa Oldridge, a Performance Strategist in Calgary with expertise in governance, ESG, and investment in startups. Lisa helps us to explore the differences between what makes a good company good and what ma...

Today's episode is the second of three crossover episodes with Sound-Up Governance, a new podcast that's part of the Ground-Up Governance platform ( www.groundupgovernance.com ). In this one, Matt Fullbrook speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Jamahl Evans of the United States Marine Corps about what duty and accountability mean in his world.    TRANSCRIPT: Matt  Welcome back to Sound-Up Governance. One...

Today's episode of OMG is actually a crossover with a new podcast, Sound-Up Governance, which is part of the new Ground-Up Governance platform. Episode 1 features an interview with Tiziana Casciaro, author of Power, for All: How it Really Works, and Why it's Everyone's Business. If you like what you hear, please consider heading over to groundupgovernance.com and subscribing.   SCRIPT The next thr...

Today I launched my new platform, Ground-Up Governance . If you ever wished there were corporate governance resources that were less complicated, expensive, and...well, boring, then please have a look. I'm super excited about it and hope you like it!   SCRIPT Today, September 12, 2022, marks the launch of my new project, Ground-Up Governance. On the surface, it may look like just a newsletter, but...

Special OMG guest Jeff de Cagna explains the importance of fit-for-purpose boards. Although his specialty is associations, the message applies universally!   SCRIPT Hi, I’m Jeff De Cagna, executive advisor for Foresight First LLC, located in Reston, Virginia. My sincere thanks to Matt for inviting me to be the guest host for this episode of the One Minute Governance Podcast.   The focus of my work...