The Culturally Conscious Board
We Help
Boards Deepen
Culture for Impact.
This book was helpful and practical. If you serve on a board, this will serve you and your fellow board members well. The authors helped to name that boards are the "chief trust officers" for an organization. I found this quote to be quite perceptive: “Table culture is not neutral and can affect the organization. Given the propensity to create echo chambers that reduce the quality and reach of decisions, it is in the best interests of boards to adopt culture-shifting practices that widen their view of their task” (p. 40). This is so true and I am grateful the authors named this.​
-- Megan, Amazon Customer
The Book | The Culturally Conscious Board
The Culturally Conscious Board is a new book by Jennifer Jukanovich and Russell West. With the support of the MJ Murdock Trust, they seek nothing less than to transform the culture of boards across the spectrum--from the local cancer nonprofit to the multinational anti-poverty NGO. We know we need more diverse voices, but how do we elevate those voices when they join?
Using their tested "Board Culture Placemat," Russell and Jennifer provide "Conversation Starters" to make mentionable the often-silent role board culture plays in a board's decision-making habits. The book views culture as a seldom-minded asset and thus making it a needless liability. It invites boards to become intentional in shaping board culture, especially in crucial decision-making moments. Laced through with more than 125 provocative board culture questions, the authors' board coaching expertise comes through.
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With a fresh take on the business fable, you journey with a new board member -- her name is Crystal -- as she navigates the unspoken rules and manners that come with boardroom tables. In this narrative, we invite you into a scene that takes place mostly around a boardroom table. We watch it play out, chapter by chapter, as what's on the table -- minutes and motions -- confirm what we all know...it's only half the story. Just like a board meeting you may have attended at some point in your journey, you have a front row seat to your own dilemmas when seated around your version of a boardroom table. As one non-profit executive who enthusiastically remarked in her LinkedIn book review, "You just might find yourself texting your board chair as you read it!"
Featured in the Book!
Jennifer brings nearly three decades of domestic and international nonprofit leadership and board experience to her role as Managing Partner of Ambactus Global Solutions. In addition, Dr. Jukanovich serves as a coach and faculty for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and as a co-investigator for the internationally celebrated 2020 GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) project. A former college vice president and nonprofit director, she remans active in advising social impact ventures in the United States and internationally, believing in the power of trust-based relationships to solve complex problems. Jennifer lives with her family in the Boston area. Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn, HERE.
Over three decades, Dr. West has held diverse roles—from college president to drill instructor to U.S. Marine officers. A certified executive performance coach and leadership educator, West is faculty in several nonprofit capacity-building programs, such as Kellogg School's Center for Non-Profit Management, the Murdock Trust's Board Leadership and Green Room initiatives and Geisinger Health's E. Allen Deaver Healthcare Executive Leadership Program. He has been CEO of The Emergence Group since 2004. He resides in Nashville. Russ enjoys family, equestrian pursuits, and sailing. Connect with Russ on LinkedIn, HERE.
