Hot to continually refresh your annual board strategy

Before delving into some powerful techniques that enable your Board to continuously
refresh its annual Board strategy, it is worthwhile reflecting on the role of the Board, and how
strategy should integrate into this role.
The key role of any board is “to make the choices that create the future for the communities
they serve”. Creating the future is all about being aware of what is happening in the strategic
environment, focusing on the things that are likely to have an effect on your organization,
choosing what needs to be modified, created or discontinued and repeating this process
continuously.
The two key Board tools for maintaining this focus on creating the future are the vision/
purpose statement-the impact we wish to have on the communities we serve-and the
strategic plan-the top 3 or 4 things the board agrees have to occur in the next 2 or 3 years
to achieve the vision/purpose.
The strategic plan is the Boards’ main accountability document to key stakeholders and the
community generally. The vision/purpose of the organisation is brought to life through the
development, implementation and review of the strategic plan, and Board accountability
should be primarily measured through how effective it is in creating this future.
The problem with trying to predict the future is that it is constantly changing. Any strategic
plan or Board strategy is useless if it is never reviewed, amended, tested and changed. When
we acknowledge the intersection of the Board focus on strategy with the knowledge that the
future is constantly changing, then continuously reviewing Board strategy through the filter
of the strategic plan becomes an imperative.