Nurse on Board—Self-assessment and Resources for Board Competencies

Skill/Competency / Description/Definition / Self-assessment / Resources
Board-Specific / Associated Content-Definition / Minimal or Some Knowledge/ skill / Ability and some experience in using the knowledge/ skill / Comfort and extensive use of the knowledge/skill / Available Resources for further development of knowledge and skill
Exercise Professional Commitment to Serve on a Governing Board / Commitment to time, energy, preparedness, financial acumen /
Knowledgeable about Board Types, By Laws, Job Descriptions of Boards / Term limits and turn-over; recruitment; terminology;
Governance vs Operations /
Knowledgeable of Standard Business Protocols, Board Roles and Voting Processes / Robert’s Rules, Committees; Consensus-decision making process /
Principles of Managing Effective and Efficient Board Meetings / Agenda, quorum, group process, politics, power, influence /
Understand Ethical and legal processes for conducting board meetings / Behavior, guests, maintaining order, approval of minutes
Strategies to maintain control in intense and uncivil situations / Time limiting, use of agenda, objections
Skill/Competency / Description/Definition / Self-assessment / Resources
Advanced Leadership / Associated content (Define competency) / Minimal or Some Knowledge/ skill / Ability and some experience in using the knowledge/ skill / Comfort and extensive use of the knowledge/skill / Available Resources for further development of knowledge and skill
Innovative Thinking / Fostering new concepts to resolve problems / 7 Important Creative Thinking Skills
Innovation Skills
Organizational Awareness / Organization’s expectations, priorities, and values; organizational performance; stakeholder satisfaction. Understanding the values and mission of the prospective organization to see whether yours align or not. Also knowing professional relationships that organization has (affiliations, partnerships, etc.) / This information should be researched prior to making a commitment to the Board you are choosing to serve.
Managing Complexity / The ability to quickly integrate complex information to identify strategies and solutions, learn new concepts quickly, demonstrate keen insights into situations, assimilate large amounts of information, and narrow it down to and articulate the core idea or issue. / Lessons on resilience: Learning to manage complexity
Dealing with Complexity
Change leadership / Change leadership is about the phases of change—and the emotions associated with those phases—that people must navigate when change is constant. The driving forces, visions and processes that fuel large-scale transformation / Navigating Change: A leader's role
Team Leadership / Establish and model norms for behavior; work to gain commitment; remove/reduce obstacles; encourage team leadership behaviors in others. Collectively establishing goals and strategic plans that the group can manage together. Holding each other accountable for the perseverance and success of the organization. /
Decision making based on inputs and outputs / The standard protocol for group governance. When organizations are tasked with decision making, know that they should be considering stakeholders, consequences, etc.
Skill/Competency / Description/Definition / Self-assessment / Resources
Communication Skills / Associated content (Define competency) / Minimal or Some Knowledge/ skill / Ability and some experience in using the knowledge/ skill / Comfort and extensive use of the knowledge/skill / Available Resources for further development of knowledge and skill
Communication / Articulating clear mission/values
Impact and Influence / The ability to persuade or convince others to support an idea, agenda or direction. / Impact and Influence: A Key Competency for Top Performers
Skills of impact and influence
Marketing yourself / Knowing who you are and what you stand for / 5 Ways to market yourself as a leader
Self-Awareness and the Effective Leader
Professional Behavior & Professionalism / Diligence, honesty, Holding personal high standards. Conducting conversations with leaders and members that portray commitment to acting in good standards that promotes yourself as well as the organization. /
Information Seeking / Desires information to become better informed, looks for resources and supporting information / Information Overload
Collaboration / Morale building; Ability to work Collaboratively with peers and management / How to Develop Collaboration Skills
7 Steps to Improve Collaboration on Your Team
Relationship Building / Establishing trust and follow through with colleagues to meet the goals of the organization. Net-working, collaboration, etc.