How to Sabotage Your Board

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images

Board governance can often be derailed by behaviors that undermine effective decision-making. In “How to Sabotage Your Board,” Jon Huggett and Dariusz Jemielniak identify 14 common actions—ranging from withholding critical information to creating factions—that can significantly hinder a board’s ability to function effectively.

The article emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing these behaviors to foster a culture of trust and collaboration. By proactively managing potential disruptions, organizations can ensure that their boards remain focused on their mission and deliver meaningful impact.

Learn more about how to identify and address these challenges in board governance here.

Passing the Torch, Lighting the Way

Equal Justice USA (EJUSA) undertook a leadership transition from a White founder to a Black executive director by implementing intentional strategies focused on racial equity.

The organization prepared by revamping its mission, diversifying its staff and board, and building a strong leadership bench. Proactive engagement with funders ensured sustained financial support, allowing the new leader to focus on advancing EJUSA’s vision without the burden of proving their worth under inequitable conditions. 

The authors emphasize the importance of proactive planning and institutional readiness to mitigate the systemic challenges leaders of color often face. Read more about Jamila and Shari’s leadership transition efforts here.

Community Foundations as Leaders of Place-Based Equity Work

CFLeads and Public Equity Group (PEG) began collaborating in 2022 to document the equity journeys of 13 community foundations that participated in the CFLeads Racial Equity Network (2017-present).

Convened by CFLeads, a national network of community foundations, the Racial Equity Network aims to build the collective capacity of community foundations interested in advancing equity.

CFLeads and PEG have launched a field report and 13 case studies that spotlight how community foundations are advancing racial equity and diversity within their regions.

Field Learning from ~40 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grantees

Back in 2020, as the country was grappling with horrifying incidents of racial injustice and violence and a global pandemic, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded a cohort of organizations seeking to advance their learning and progress on racial equity. This effort, called the Equity Learning Lab (ELL), involved almost 40 organizations, all of which are working on transforming health and healthcare with a focus on health equity.

When Public Equity Group began the ELL journey back in 2020, we knew that we wanted to create a space where we could share our most valuable stories, tools and resources, and insights from the ELL experience, as nothing quite like it, on its scale, had been done before. 

It is our greatest hope that these ELL resources will continue to support organizational efforts to cultivate inclusion and belonging for diverse teams, and more directly center racial equity in culture and strategy, to achieve more racially equitable outcomes. Now more than ever we are inspired to advance work that calls forth all of our community members’ beautiful talents and multiple intelligences - in service of equity and justice.

How Indigenous Wisdom Can Support Youth Mental Health

This SSIR article by Virgil Moorehead, executive director of Two Feathers Native American Family Services, highlights the importance of Indigenous wisdom in supporting youth mental health, particularly Native American youth, who face challenges like intergenerational trauma, poverty, and social alienation. The approach includes narrative therapy, cultural practices, and fostering relationships to empower youth to reclaim their identity and gifts, creating a sense of responsibility toward others and the natural world.

Read more here.

Eleventh Circuit Blocks Venture Capital Fund’s Grant Contest for Black Women-Owned Businesses

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit blocked a contest by a venture capital fund that provided grants and other benefits to black women-owned businesses, finding the contest is likely to unlawfully discriminate based on race under 42 U.S.C. Section 1981 (Section 1981). The decision in the case brought by an activist group that seeks to eliminate racial classifications, the American Alliance for Equal Rights (Alliance), reinforces the ongoing legal scrutiny and risk of programs that exclude certain groups based on race, even if the programs seek to address or remediate historical race discrimination.

Learn more about the implications of the ruling here, from Ogletree Deakins employment law experts (including Linda Goldman, PEG advisor).

What helps us connect with people who are different from us?

An interview with John Newsome explores his experiences as a canvasser to illustrate how open communication and face-to-face interactions can foster understanding and bridge divides. John's willingness to be vulnerable and engage in genuine, face-to-face interactions allows him to connect with individuals holding a wide range of viewpoints.

Read the full interview with John here.

Corporate diversity in the crosshairs after US Supreme Court ruling

Financial Times “Corporate diversity in the crosshairs after US Supreme Court ruling” June 29, 2023.

The Supreme Court’s ruling creates hardships for organizations

[Per PEG Legal Team] the Supreme Court’s legal reasoning in the college cases could be applied in other cases aiming to end companies’ ability to use race as a factor in training, leadership and mentorship programmes designed to correct historic underrepresentation

Dr. Aisha Nyandoro speaks to Congress About policy shifts to lift families out of poverty

Listen to Dr. Aisha Nyandoro’s important testimony on how Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) can be reimagined by "putting families at the center."

https://c-span.org/video/?529257-1/state-officials-testify-welfare-waste-abuse#

PEG memo on SCOTUS affirmative action implications

• Hewlett Foundation shares resources to prepare for and respond to the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decisions, including from Public Equity Group, ACLU, Munger, Tolles, and Olson and others

• Explore Public Equity Group’s memo on how the Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action ruling can impact the workplace and how organizations can protect diversity programs.

  • The legal implications of the SCOTUS affirmative action decisions are still being determined (and re-litigated) by courts and regulatory bodies. While we’ll do our best to update these resources accordingly, we encourage you to consult legal counsel for the latest developments

• Explore the Financial Times article, “Corporate diversity in the crosshairs after US Supreme Court ruling” (June 29, 2023), which outlines how the Supreme Court’s ruling creates hardships for organizations:

  • “[Per PEG Legal Team] the Supreme Court’s legal reasoning in the college cases could be applied in other cases aiming to end companies’ ability to use race as a factor in training, leadership and mentorship programmes designed to correct historic underrepresentation”