How often does your board take time to reflect, tackle tough questions and engage in creative, blue-sky thinking? 

Last week one of our facilitators asked a group of board members and executives this exact question. Most agreed their board did not spend as much time as they wanted in this mode of thinking. They talked about how challenging it is to move generative conversations towards actionable, positive results. They feared it would take up significant time – and many are already struggling to get through their current agendas.Some worried generative thinking would send the board down a rabbit hole – and who would pull them out? Others questioned, “how do we do blue-sky thinking with all the day-to-day pressures we must address?”

Generative conversations are not easy. They involve the board taking a step back from focusing on the organization itself (internal) and starting to align around the vision and success of your mission in the community (external). Doing so will increase your success in the day-to-day pressures.  

This month Vantage Point is working with Fierce, Inc. to deliver Fierce Conversations in Not-for-Profit Organizations: Leaders Forum 2012. It takes skill to bring your board into the blue-sky, to successfully navigate complex conversations. As Susan Scott, founder of Fierce Inc. says, “What gets talked about in an organization and how it gets talked about, determines what will happen. Or won’t.”

What isn’t getting talked about at your board table or in your organization?  

* Want to inspire solutions through the art of skilled conversations? Check out Fierce Conversations in Not-for-Profit Organizations: Leaders Forum 2012 on October 18.