What type of trustee are you?

Trustee 3: The Student

In four years of clerking, governance advice and undertaking Board reviews, I have recognised the importance of continuous learning – of being a student of governance and charity practice.

Some people – even me at times – will see governance as being dry but speaking with a 28-year-old trustee recently – who has an amazing 10 years’ experience in a board setting already – raised some interesting questions. How often do we think about what we have gained from a board meeting, or how we can learn from others? When did we last actively engage in a refresh on the role of being a trustee and consciously thought about how to be better? In the last 3 months, what have I done to make myself a better trustee?

That last question really challenged me – so this summer I am being an intentional student giving an hour a week to stretching my brain a bit. It’s certainly started well – I was introduced to the gradients of agreement approach to support democratic decision making – my brain is still popping with how this could transform Board conversations. I hope to try it out with a small group in September.

How have you been a student and invested in your own learning to be a better trustee?