Creating Connections: Strengthening Non-Profit Boards
What if you could cut through the messy middle quicker so you could communicate more effectively and be more productive with less pain?
How much time are you wasting each year?
“Building a strong team is both possible and remarkably simple. But it is painfully difficult.”
Introducing …
Creating Connections: Building a Strong Non-Profit Board
Stop wasting time and instead get down to the important work of changing the world!
The Creating Connections: Building a Strong Non-Profit Board program will create both individual understanding of natural behaviour style, but also a team overview, so individuals can understand the style of others, and adapt to speak their language.
Do you ever just “get” some people? It’s like you speak the same language and can predict how they will behave and react. Yet with other people, it’s like they are speaking a foreign language and you are left puzzled and confused?
Cohesive teams know how to speak a variety of languages and how to understand team strengths and blind spots. The Connecting the Cause session will help individuals gain important self-awareness of their natural style, but also help create common language for the team to use to communicate effectively. Additionally, it will help the team recognize strengths and challenges. Teams which have ongoing turnover (such as non-profit boards) need to decrease the forming and storming stages of group development so they can to performing quicker.
Tell me if this sounds like you:
You sit on a board where there is annual or semi annual turnover. Each time you add members to the board, you spend time getting to know each other. Team building and understanding each other is important, but it takes so much time and you really just want to get down to the important work that brought you to join in the first place.
Maybe you just really “get” some people and it clicks with them; you feel like they are speaking the same language as you. But there are others that you don’t understand and you feel like you are speaking completely different languages.
You want to spend your precious time changing the world, and not getting stuck constantly rebuilding the team.
What if there was a process that would give you amazing insight into your natural style, but also help you understand other people, as well as, learn about the team strengths and blind spots? What if you could spend 2 hours building a strong team without trust falls or sharing your most embarrassing moments? The Board Building Workshop can do just that.
That’s why I developed this workshop specifically for non-profit boards. You join a board because you want to make an impact and you want to get moving right away. Consciously, you understand it takes time to understand the other members, but it just seems to take so much of the annual cycle. I’ve done this workshop with boards and have both seen the positive impact and have stories about the difference it made for these boards and I want to give that opportunity to get through the awkward quicker so they can focus on the real reason they signed up.
We know that there will be a honeymoon phase and maybe some awkward times as you figure out other people. I’ve been there and I’ve been frustrated too. That’s why the process I do in the Board Building Workshop is so important. I will walk you through a process to understand yourself, others, and the board more clearly so you can work together to change the world.
The best part? The process is realistic and sustainable. Each person completes an assessment which can be used in the future, so you only need to have new board members take an assessment and complete training. For non-profits where every dollar is crucial, you can rest assured that you are being great stewards of the financial resources of the organization.
Non-profit boards face unique challenges. Do any of things hit home for you?
“Jacquie is great at assuring participants that all styles are valid and terrific; no one style is better and that all are needed for rich, meaningful discussions and decisions. She used an excellent mix of humour and sincerity during instructions and explanations. I will use what I’ve learned for years to come.”
OFFER SUMMARY
In the Board Building Workshop, you will:
Learn about your natural style and how you prefer to communicate
Learn about the other main styles and how to adjust to better connect with them
Recognize your team strengths
Identify your team blind spots
Build a stronger team quicker so you can get past the awkward or frustrating period and get to the work that made you join in the first place.
Create a common language you can use when interacting with each other
Companion resources include overviews of DISC and will include the people on your board so you can glance quickly to see their style and how to adjust to better communicate with them.
Right now you’re feeling frustrated. You feel stuck; either in conflict, or the awkward get to know you phase and you just want to get going and feel like you are accomplishing stuff. Maybe you are dreading your meetings, or just not looking forward to them. While you were once excited, maybe you are reconsidering why you joined. You see the potential and know this group could do amazing work if they could start to find their groove.
Imagine sitting down and feeling like you are all rowing together. You are in sync and what once might have annoyed you doesn’t anymore. You understand why people act the way they do and you don’t get caught in those dynamics. The team has great discussions, even when there are debates or disagreements. You feel part of a cohesive, healthy team and like you are making a difference. You are excited to be part of this dynamic group. You know that you will likely lose and gain a member or two come the next AGM, but it doesn’t bother you as you know you can bring them into the fold quickly and the team won’t lose momentum. You’ve laid a great foundation and know that annual training is reasonable and a great use of resources.
That’s what can happen when your board goes through the Board Training.
What is this program all about?
Watch the video to learn more
I’m Jacquie Surgenor Gaglione and I have a huge passion for non-profits. I’ve sat on various boards including: Bissell Centre, Alberta School Councils’ Association, Sherwood Park District Soccer Association, along with other volunteer organizations without boards. I believe that non-profits are the heart of our community and I want to see them succeed.
I’ve also grappled with the cost of professional development which is often out of reach for non-profits, so they hobble together some in-house training, or put it off for later when they have the money. Except later often doesn’t come as it is hard to justify spending money on development when it could be spent on end users.
I started Leadership and Life by Kayric Inc. to bring affordability to non-profits. I know that I can deliver results for reasonable cost. Training can be accessible and I’ve seen the difference that this particular program can make. I did this workshop with one board and it was a like the massive light bulb went off over everyone’s head and we were able to really understand each other (and ourselves). We were then better able to navigate challenging situations and discussions in healthy and productive ways.
My background and experience as a teacher allows me to design meaningful training that hits home for participants. My approach is to build connections between experiences, prior knowledge and new knowledge. Humans learn best when they can relate concepts to life. That’s the art and science of development and growth.
Have Questions? … I Have Answers!
What is DISC? DISC is a behaviour model based on the work of psychologist William Moulton Marston. Two axes (people vs task focused and active vs reserved) yield four quadrants: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Compliance. DISC reports give you valuable information about your natural behaviour tendencies. You may find that you just get some people and interactions with those people are easy, but with others, you struggle to understand them and communication is more challenging. DISC gives you common language so you can understand and communicate more effectively with these people.
How does my board do this on an ongoing basis? Once board members complete their DISC assessment, we can create groups to produce team reports. If you have turnover on your board, then only the new people need to complete a DISC assessment, and we can produce a new team report. DISC training as part of your onboarding and orientation process helps everyone understand.
Is there one profile that is better than another? No. Each profile has strengths and challenges. DISC doesn’t assign value to the attributes which describe each profile, or to the profiles themselves. We have a tendency to do that as humans, but at the core, no profile is better than another.
What can our board learn from a team profile? Learn who likes to take risks and who is more cautious; who is comfortable making gut decisions and who needs more information. Create understanding around how different members like to communicate and what motivates them (as well as what reduces their motivation). A team profile gives you insight into strengths and blind spots of your team.
What if someone leaves or joins our board after we do the training? Since boards are often high-turnover teams, I’ve made it easy and cost effective to maintain your DISC knowledge. Only new people need to complete an assessment and training can be done as part of the annual onboarding process.
What is the cost? Assessments cost between $100 - $125 each and the training costs $375 (2 hour training and 1 hour follow up with the executive team).
Why don’t you charge as much as other providers? I have a passion for non-profits, so I discount their assessments. I know that they need to be good stewards of the organization’s financial resources and I don’t want cost to be the barrier to them.
Can you deliver in person or virtual? Yes. I’ve done the training both ways and am comfortable doing either.
Where will you do in person? I am located in the Edmonton metro area, so I am willing to deliver in person in this region. Outside of this region, I am willing to travel subject to additional costs and mutual agreement.
Why are you different? I am a teacher at heart (and by trade) and I approach training and development from that perspective. I have extensive training and experience in developing and delivering content and programs. I also want to focus on non-profits and small organizations because they typically feel like training and development is out of their reach. I aim to make leadership and team development accessible to these organizations.
What if we have questions after the training? I have tons of free resources available, and I’m only an email or a phone call away! I want to have a long-term relationship with my clients. It’s not one and done.
Learn how this program can help your board.
Watch the video!
Who can benefit from identifying and defining their core values?
Executive Director: You see the potential in your Board, but they just aren’t gelling. You might be frustrated by conflict around the table. You might not get some of the board members and wish you could communicate better with them.
President/Board Chair: You are frustrated that you spend too much time dealing with personalities rather than the true work of the board. There seems to be different sub-groups or cliques who have a difficult time communicating with the others. You took on this role to make a difference, yet too much of your time is spent doing anything but that. You wish that communication was better and that you understood people better but have no idea what to do. You want to build a strong team, but aren’t interested in trust falls and icebreaker questions.
Director: You joined this board to make a difference, but you feel like you are wasting your time as the group can’t ever seem to communicate well enough to make decisions. There might be a few people you just get, but there are others you do not understand. You are frustrated and might be considering quitting.
Here’s how this works
Step 1: Click the Book a Discovery Call button.
Step 2: I will create a plan for your board
Step 3: Board members complete their DISC assessment.
Step 4: Reports are generated and shared with Board Members/Executive
Step 5: Board attends training session
Step 6: Board communicates better and goes off to change the world.
Step 7: Optional: Tell everyone about me, write a review or send me a testimonial for me to share.
REFUND POLICY
I want you to be successful and if you are not satisfied, I will work with you to ensure you are.
IMAGINE IF
Imagine where you could be three months from now…
Rather than taking several months to learn about how each board member communicates, you know earlier (as part of the onboarding process) and so you are able to get into the work of the board earlier (and better)
Rather than being annoyed or frustrated by people, you started to “get” them
Rather than feeling like you are speaking a different language from someone else, you had common language and could communicate effectively
Rather than being frustrated that you lose a chunk of your annual cycle to learning about each other, you could feel effective and efficient
Rather than not understanding your natural behaviour tendencies, you have clarity and know what you need and how to ask for it
Rather than feeling like you can’t communicate with some people, you know how to adapt your style to more clearly speak their language
Now is the time to purchase the Creating Connections Workshop (and DISC Assessments)
