From the Board Chair – Doug Tennant
To move forward and accomplish its mission, an organization needs board members who know their role and are engaged in their work. The Surrey Board of Trade (SBOT) directors take their job seriously and engage in education and consultation that helps them develop their governing acumen and the Ends of the organization. The Ends of an organization are what the organization exists to achieve. The Ends are created through consultation with the ‘owners’ of SBOT, whom the board has defined as “its business members.” Consultations happen in the daily interactions board members have with members and also at specific consultations, such as the Business in Surrey Breakfast held on November 5, 2019, at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel. At this breakfast, new and existing members where asked the following four questions:
1. What are the challenges that you believe Surrey businesses face, and what kinds of resources are needed to overcome them?
2. If the Surrey Board of Trade could meet one need that would best assist Surrey businesses, what would it be?
3. What do you believe is important for the Surrey Board of Trade of achieve?
4. Which of the Surrey Board of Trade’s Ends do you value most?
The responses from this consultation will be tabulated and a report created for board directors, who will use the information they learn to help them review and revise the Ends of the organization.
The SBOT board is also responsible for ensuring that risks to the organization are mitigated. We do this through a set of Executive Limitations that our CEO, Anita, must live by. These limitations enforce everything from treatment of staff, to financial activities, to ethical behaviour. In short, they dictate what the CEO cannot do in regards to any organizational practice or activity that might be unlawful, imprudent, or a violation of commonly accepted business ethics. The CEO reports on compliance with these limitations at every board meeting.
There are two other sets of policies that the board owns: Governance Process and Board-management Delegation. The latter describes how the board interacts with the CEO and the former describes the fiduciary duties of the board, as well as how it must behave. In September of this year, the board spent a full day reviewing these policies and ensuring that we understand and follow them.
The board has made great strides in adopting Policy Governance practices that will ensure strong governance now and in the future for the SBOT. I’m grateful for Dr. Greg Thomas for getting the ball rolling on this project and to my fellow board members for allowing me to talk about policy so much as we get familiar with this style of governance.
On the bright side, policy governance does create board meetings that are engaging— with a focus on education, ownership consultation, and monitoring, that will make our work as board members more interesting and purposeful as we move forward.
The following Ends were approved at our Board/staff retreat in September. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the role of the board at the SBOT.
d.tennant@shsbc.ca
GLOBAL END
1. The Surrey Board of Trade exists so that its members and the wider community have a business climate conducive to their success at a cost that validates business members’ fees.
Sub-ends
1.1. Businesses in and associated with Surrey have opportunities and supports to succeed
1.1.1. Businesses have the tools, connections, and resources they need domestically and internationally.
1.1.2. Businesses outside of Surrey are aware of business opportunities in Surrey
1.1.3. Surrey supports innovation
1.1.4. Business to business connections thrive in Surrey 1.1.5. Surrey supports a thriving regional and international business climate
1.2. Government decisionmakers have information on current and emerging issues and how their decisions impact business
1.2.1. Business has a definitive voice in Surrey
1.3. Surrey is attractive to business
1.3.1. Businesses, community organizations, and government have the opportunity to collaborate to make Surrey safe, inclusive, and affordable
1.3.2. Businesses have access to a diverse workforce with relevant skills