I love governance.
There, I said it, and I am not apologizing, either.
I heard a newscaster ask a newly elected political candidate the other day, “And, I hate to use this word since it really causes people’s eyes to glaze over, but what plans do you have for governance” -- he winces -- “for the new city council?”
Damn it, my eyes don’t glaze over. Instead, my heart skips a beat! What is wrong with me? Why do I burn the supper while furiously following #corpgov tweets? Why do I look at a pizza and think, “Mmmm...nice, round policy circle.” Why do I spend lazy Sunday mornings obsessing about splitting the chairman/CEO roles? Why does governance haiku float through my mind while I’m washing the dishes?
If we assume for a moment that I am not insane, let me propose three reasons why I love governance.
First, I hate bad board meetings, and everything that could possibly entail: people talking in circles, covering ground that has been covered before, long discussions with no apparent relevance, people not paying attention, pointless arguments about details, boring presentations, wasted time, and did I mention people talking in circles?
So I am thrilled when I witness a great board meeting, where the agenda is logical, the conversations are rich, the decisions are meaningful, and the participants are focused, happy, and engaged. Love it!
Second, I love creative freedom. I really like being able to do things my way. I want the opportunity to innovate, to invent solutions, to try new ideas, to be spontaneous, to get things done quickly and to have fun at my job. I’m all for following rules, but to me that means the fewer and clearer rules there are, the better. Don’t make me fill out a stack of forms or read three-inch policy binders. Let me brainstorm, create, design and invent, and I’ll be uber-happy always.
That love of freedom means I can’t get enough of a governance system that liberates both board and CEO to do their respective jobs. When the roles and rules are clear, you can create, achieve, and work with a real sense of joy in your heart. Everyone knows their area of accountability, and then when the work is done, they can honestly feel pride in what they’ve accomplished.
Third, I want to save the world. I mean, do my little part towards that effort, at least. Humans are social animals and while there is no shortage of outstanding individual achievements to gawk at on Youtube, people, in my view, are at their greatest when they work well together in groups. Did you cry when you saw the Chilean miners rise to the surface to greet their loved ones? I sure did. It was relief, it was love, and it was people working together to create a miracle.
Good governance is about that too. We have so many miracles to create in this world, whether it is curing diseases, making profits, feeding stomachs, saving whales, inspiring through music or stopping wars. Since people are capable of so much when they work effectively together, I can’t help but want to make it easier for them.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Do you love governance -- well, good governance -- too? Think about why (or why not) and share your story.
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