NCA is set to release its newest publication, Board Toolkit: Club Leadership Essentials, our first publication provided free to NCA members under recent expansions to the publication savings NCA members enjoy. Also apart of this expansion are 60 to 70 percent discounts on all existing NCA publications.
In this guide are six chapters full of best practices, tips, checklists and sample forms and templates (which you are encouraged to use and also download from NCA’s website), geared toward ensuring your board is functioning smoothly and effectively.
Below is an excerpt from the Toolkit on strategic planning best practices. Also included are ten step-by-step “tips” on how to create a strategic planning process for your board. Enjoy this sneak peak from the Board Toolkit: Club Leadership Essentials, coming soon to your mailbox.
Strategic planning
One of the major contributions that a board can make is to establish the club’s direction and major goals. Developing a long-range plan that looks forward three to five years provides a clear direction for short-term goals and activities.
The full board must play a meaningful role with the staff in developing, supporting, and modifying the strategic plan. As the body responsible for the future of the club, the board must be clear about the mission, vision, and values of the club and the direction where the club is heading. The board should also establish and periodically review benchmarks to help track progress, prepare for future planning processes, and determine contingency plans, if changes occur in the current operating environment and customer needs. The full board cannot abdicate this role, and it should focus on strategic rather than operational issues.
The board needs to focus not only on the planning process, but also on implementation and tracking results afterwards. The board should:
- Set up a monitoring and review process – identify a board member who will assist the general manager in providing frequent assessment of how well the plan is being implemented and periodic, in-depth reassessment of the entire plan, including mission, goals and strategies.
- Look at the plan frequently – expect reports regularly from the general manager and staff on how well implementation is going.
- Reassess the plan annually – establish procedures for reviewing and updating the strategic plan on a regular basis.
Board and staff should use the strategic plan like a roadmap—helping to guide the club in the right direction and also figuring out where detours are necessary or shortcuts are possible.
Transparency and understanding changes in the market will be critical in moving forward. The board should consider an annual retreat to help strengthen ties between board members and with staff, as well as focus the full board on a shared set of priorities for the coming year and better engage the members in their work. By being strategic, the club can:
- Stay focused on the mission, not individual agendas, and address the mission on a more consistent basis.
- Develop more effective communication between the board and staff.
- Follow through with and continually review the strategic plan.
- Be more decisive when making decisions.
For more information about the new Board Toolkit, please visit www.nationalclub.org.
