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your employee, “What did you learn today?” it isn’t asking the question,
“What did you do differently afterward?”, which should lead to the next
question, “And what was the result?”. Another insightful question is
“What did you change today and what will you do differently tomorrow?”

These questions imply continuous improvement. Imagine if each
employee changed one thing every day. That’s approximately 240
improvements per employee per year. What would that do for your
organization? 232

The Board and Change

Since most nonprofit organizations are governed by a Board of Directors,

and the Board serves as part of the leadership of the organization, it is
important that this group be highly involved in the change process. The
benefits of board involvement in initiating and sustaining change are the
following:

1. The Board ensures that the project is fully resourced and shows
political support. Board members have full authority for allocation of
resources for the organization. Consequently, Board members can
ensure that the project has all the necessary resources, including
people, funding, and time. Their allocation of resources can show
strong political support for change, which can sustain ongoing
motivation and momentum for that change.

2. The Board oversees organizational planning. The Board has full
authority over and supervises the Chief Executive Officer. Although
employees (including the CEO) usually develop and implement
many of the action plans to bring about meaningful change, the
Board can ensure that those plans are fully developed and completely

implemented.
3. Board members provide a wide range of useful expertise. Board
members often have a wide range of useful skills that can aid in
governing the organization, such as planning, leadership,
management, supervision, and problem-solving. They may also have

232 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/08/20/six-characteristics-of-highly-effective-change-
leaders/.

David Kolzow 238