Foundations for Excellence in Tribal Governance

BRING THIS CLASS TO YOU

Tribal Boards and Councils have the opportunity to make a real difference for the people they serve, but they need to be equipped with the proper tools to do it. This hands-on, practical course is perfect for new Board or Council Members, Members who would like a refresher, and Boards and Councils who want to make sure all their Members have a shared understanding of essential governance functions. You’ll get a big picture view of the role of government and your roles and responsibilities as a Tribal Board or Council Member, then we’ll focus in on specific topics and how they apply to your governing body. This is not a theory class—our instructor will work with your group to facilitate activities and discussions that will apply to real situations you deal with, so you can start putting what you learn to use right away.

When you bring this training onsite or have us deliver it to you remotely, you can select the topics you would like to focus on below. You can select all of them if they all are important, or eliminate ones you don’t need so you can spend more time on priority topics. We are often able to add or substitute in additional modules that fit within the scope of the training, depending on the subject matter expertise of your instructor in those areas. Let us know what you'd like, and we will accommodate any requests we are able to.

Big Picture Overview

Government’s function and authority

How are tribal governments structured?

5 important pillars:

The people

The land

Laws and jurisdiction

Institutions

Resources

Separation of powers, separation of business and politics

What makes our tribe who we are? What is our stated purpose, vision, values, mission?

Reflection: How does your tribal government’s structure support its purpose? Are there ways it impedes it?

Leadership

Facilitated Discussion: What does Native leadership mean?

Traits and behaviors of effective leaders

Difference between leadership and management

Community expectations of tribal leaders

Ethics and confidentiality

Reflection: Who do your decisions impact?

Your Role on the Board or Council

What are the powers and responsibilities of the Board or Council?

What authority do individual Board or Council Members have?

Duties and Conduct

Accountability

Recognizing and avoiding Conflicts of Interest

The Board or Council’s Role In…

Planning

Setting priorities

Using the strategic plan to make decisions and to increase accountability

Planning from a policy and budgeting standpoint

Finance

Board’s role in the budget process

Reading audit reports

Understanding monthly fiscal reports

Capital Projects

Agreements

Relationships with Other Governments

Principles of Government-to-Government relationships

Other Key Figures

Chief

Administrator

Support staff

Delegation

Relationship of authority, responsibility, and accountability

When is it oversight, when is it micromanagement?

What does “Unity of Control” mean and why does it matter?

Empowering decision-making

Delegating to the CEO/Tribal Administrator

Delegating to Committees

The role of committees

How committees can be structured

Using action items to produce outcomes

How to hold people accountable when delegating

Building Better Relationships with Staff

Signs of a problem:

Lack of strategic alignment or direction
Executive turnover

A toxic organizational culture, including bullying

Lack of trust, respect, or candor

Solutions:

Establishing proper communication channels

Setting and keeping boundaries

Setting clear and consistent expectations

Providing a means for redress

Exercise: Which solutions should your Board/Council try?

How to evaluate the CEO/Tribal Administrator

Evaluating the Board or Council’s own performance

Effective Meetings

Role and authority of the Chair

Roberts Rules Cheat Sheet

Agendas
Strategies for reaching consensus

Common problems and how to address them:

Late or absent members

Side-discussions

Meetings are too long

Meetings do not produce outcomes

Difficult personalities or dynamics

Reading and Interpreting Ordinances

Tips:

Understand how ordinances are structured

Check for context

Look for a definitions section

Read the complete heading

Pay attention to the format and organization

Look for keywords

Look up words you don’t know

Read cross-referenced sections

Consider the intent of the governing body

Reading sample ordinances

Thank you!

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Bring this Class to You

Let us know how many people the training is for, your approximate time frame for holding it, if you have a preference for onsite or remote training, and any comments about what you would like your learners to get out of the class. We'll contact you to discuss.

Foundations for Excellence in Tribal Governance

Big Picture Overview

Delegation

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Foundations for Excellence in Tribal Governance

Big Picture Overview

Delegation

Bring this Class to You

Click "Edit Contents" and start uploading your learning material.

Select a course first to display its contents.

No available contents for

Registro y Pago

Registro

Producto

There are no free, paid or coming soon courses in your school yet.Why don't you create one?

Oops, your school's owner is working hard preparing the courses for you.

Oops, you haven't created any courses yet.

No blog posts found in your blog. Why don't you create one?

There are no free, paid or coming soon courses in your school yet.
Why don't you create one?