Learn to Think and Act like a Board Leader
In her new board role for Heifer International, Ashley Stone focuses her talent and energy on raising awareness, promoting initiatives, and increasing fundraising. Since this was her first time serving on a board, Stone wanted to learn more about her individual role and the complex functions of governance. In this interview, she shares how the Governance for Nonprofit Excellence program has helped her to forge effective relationships with the CEO, manage strategic alliances, and maintain mission clarity.
What was your main reason for attending Governance for Nonprofit Excellence?
This was the first time that I'd ever served on a board. So when the CEO offered me the opportunity to attend Governance for Nonprofit Excellence, I was more than happy to accept. From day one, the experience has been amazing. It taught me to think and lead like a board member—analyzing our capacity, building support for our CEO, executing our mission, and measuring our performance.
What surprised you about the program?
This was my very first executive program. To be honest, I was a little intimidated by the prospect of coming to Harvard, especially after being out of school for more than 20 years. What pleasantly surprised me was how tremendously humble the group and the professors were. People came from all different walks of life, which made it a very rich learning environment and a great community-building opportunity as well. I was also surprised at how much we got out of the case studies.
What insights did you gain from the HBS case method?
This was my first interaction with the case study method, and I found it to be an extremely valuable and effective way to learn. I loved having the executives from the actual cases sitting in class and talking with them face to face about their strategies and experiences. The faculty used the cases as references to pull out information, and you could see the theme that tied them altogether at the end.
What was the biggest takeaway for you?
Every single second, I felt like I was getting something out of the program. The professors were able to make each case relevant, no matter what sector we were coming from. No matter how big or small the company—international, national, or local, they were able to help us think through the framework and apply it to our specific sector.
What was the one "aha" moment for you during the program?
At the beginning of the program, we were asked: "If your board didn't meet for two years, how would that impact your organization?" Being a new board member, I didn't have a full sense of the implications. But the question served as a driver to make me think about what actions our board should take to make sure that our work is relevant, effective, generative and supportive of Heifer's mission and the CEO's vision."