Building Effective Leadership Advisory Boards: Insights and Best Practices
Discover the essential elements of successful Leadership Advisory Boards (LABs) in this comprehensive overview. LABs serve as grassroots organizations for Extension, focusing on visioning and advocacy while facilitating community engagement through active member participation. Key factors for success include frequent communication, meeting organization, and personal development opportunities. By fostering relationships and maintaining open dialogue, LABs empower members to contribute effectively to the county's program development and resource advocacy. A strong LAB is crucial for achieving local educational goals.
Building Effective Leadership Advisory Boards: Insights and Best Practices
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Presentation Transcript
The Successful Leadership Advisory Board A Year at a Glance
Background • Leadership Advisory Boards are the primary grassroots organization for Extension. • The major roles of the LAB are Visioning and Advocacy • Recent studies (Ripley and Weems) show that planning group members respond to: • Frequent communication with Extension • Frequent meetings and interaction • Personal development/training • Rotation of membership and new ideas • Full access to relevant information
The “Big Picture” • Leadership Advisory Boards develop a long-term vision for the county. • LABs advocate, interpret and develop resources for the county program. VISIONING & ADVOCACY
What Makes a LAB Successful? – One County’s Example • Members on my LAB: • Are qualified to serve due to their experience on substantive issues; respect given to them by professionals in the field; or their organizational, negotiation, or communication skills • Are dependable • Are able to accept responsibility • Work well with others; and • Can abide by the decision of the majority”
Board Member Responsibilities • Attends all board meetings and functions • Be informed of the organization’s mission, services, policies, and programs. • Reviews agenda before meeting and be ready to provide discussion at the meeting. • Serves on sub-committees and assists with special assignments as needed.
Board Member Responsibilities, cont. • Inform others about Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. • Works with the county Extension faculty to recruit new LAB members. • Keep up-to-date on developments concerning the county Extension program. • Visioning and Advocacy
Member Orientation • All new members should be fully oriented • LAB Member Handbook is a great discussion guide • Orientation can/should be conducted by a combination of Agents and LAB members • Should be conducted prior to new members attending first meeting.
Sources of Potential Members • Current Membership • Civic Clubs/Organizations • Local Industry/Business Leadership • Education System • Media • Commissioners Court/Other Elected Officials Staff • Others?
Possible Meeting Focus – Quarterly Meetings • Spring – Issue Identification/Updates • Summer – County Program Updates, Membership review, Advocacy Planning • Fall – Planning for Next Year – Community Development Programs, updates from Agents on all plans • Winter – Volunteer Recognition, Annual Program Reviews. • Meetings will have additional agenda items as needed
Training/Speakers at Meetings • Leadership and Trends – Should be a major focus • Community demographics • Community issues • School Personnel • Economic Dev. Corp/Chamber • Clergy • Law Enforcement • Government Officials
Training Examples • Spring – Business or Social Trends • New Business Owner, School Admin, Clergy, Law Enforcement, elected official • Summer – Legislative or other Governmental Update • County Commissioner, State Representative, Legislative Staff • Fall – New Program Efforts and Plans • Updates from ISD’s, Chamber Executive, Budget Update from county officials • Winter – Volunteer Recognition • Speaker on volunteerism topic, could be Church, School, etc…
Why all this training? • Increase ability to fulfill role • Shows them we value them • Keeps them active • Makes meeting less mundane • They get something for being there • Leads to new efforts • Aids in recruiting new members
Characteristic of Successful LAB’s • Meet often and involve members • Members buy-in to Extension mission • Members are active in community and understand needs • Members have ownership of programs • Keep meetings and events meaningful
Characteristic of Successful LAB’s • Consistent Communication with members • Build relationships with members • Open and honest with members • Rotation of members • Targeted recruitment of members • Recruited outside of PAC’s • Members have specific roles
Summary • LAB’s are our primary “grass roots” programming effort to the community. • LAB’s are critically important to Extension’s ability to provide locally relevant educational programs. • We rely on LAB members to provide access to and advocacy with key stakeholders. • A strong LAB is vital for Extension to achieve its mission and vision.
