Not-for-Profit & Higher Ed Sector

Not-for-Profit & Higher Ed Sector Larry Ladd is an advisor for you and/or your organization on strategy, governance, and finance. This

Group think, and its sibling self-congratulation, is a risk for every board. I've seen it way too often.
08/31/2026

Group think, and its sibling self-congratulation, is a risk for every board. I've seen it way too often.

Healthy consensus and unhealthy conformity can look identical from the outside, but directors say knowing the difference — before it costs the company — is what separates a strong board from a compromised one.

Excellent questions to consider! Best advice, in my opinion: "If you prefer a more hands-on volunteer opportunity, board...
08/30/2026

Excellent questions to consider! Best advice, in my opinion: "If you prefer a more hands-on volunteer opportunity, board service might not be the best way to get involved with an organization."

Key Questions to Ask Before Joining a Nonprofit Board is a resource to help you determine and ensure that board service is right for you.

“Most people tend to overestimate the risk of making a bad decision and underestimate the risk of inaction.” Why assess...
08/27/2026

“Most people tend to overestimate the risk of making a bad decision and underestimate the risk of inaction.” Why assessing the level of risk is a key factor in how you approach a decision:

Here are four questions to consider to become a more efficient decision-maker.

Essential to enduring organizational change is leaders consistently modeling the behavior they want others to adopt.
08/23/2026

Essential to enduring organizational change is leaders consistently modeling the behavior they want others to adopt.

Leaders are familiar with the challenge of making a cultural transformation. To signal changing expectations, execute carefully considered symbolic actions.

Effectiveness is about choices, and you can’t make choices without strategy.
08/23/2026

Effectiveness is about choices, and you can’t make choices without strategy.

Without Strategy, You Can’t Make Discerning Choices

Every strategy needs to be adaptive. Circumstances change.
08/23/2026

Every strategy needs to be adaptive. Circumstances change.

The Bridgespan Group's services include strategy consulting and advising, sourcing and diligence, and leadership team support. We take what we learn from this work, identify best practices and innovative ideas, and share them with the social sector.

Good advice to consider when searching for a new president or CEO. I don’t agree with all of the recommendations but I ...
08/17/2026

Good advice to consider when searching for a new president or CEO. I don’t agree with all of the recommendations but I do wish to stress the importance of two of them:
Keep the qualifications broad, and stay open to the unexpected candidate, and
Ask to review the long list yourself (don’t assume that the search firm will be perfect in screening candidates)

Avoid common CEO search mistakes: build the right committee, choose the best search firm, and stay open to unexpected candidates.

It’s amazing to me how often boards seek “the usual suspects,” i.e. people already within an existing network and won't ...
08/16/2026

It’s amazing to me how often boards seek “the usual suspects,” i.e. people already within an existing network and won't be too challenging. You create a far more effective board by first conducting a systematic assessment of the skills, perspectives, and identities that you need and comparing it with your current board. You inevitably find gaps. Then you must actively recruit to find who might be able to fill those gaps. Recruitment is often too random. It needs to be a responsibility, reinforced regularly, of both the CEO and at least some key board members. You should have a pipeline of potential candidates at all times.

Four ways organizations can recruit members who bring new expertise and fundraising channels.

The classic "10 Habits of Highly Effective Boards.”
08/16/2026

The classic "10 Habits of Highly Effective Boards.”

Most boards of colleges and universities don’t reach their fullest potential for effective governance. In fact, many may suffer from boardroom dysfunctions that might not be fully apparent. Yet now, more than ever, boards need to strive toward a higher level of performance. Today’s challenges an...

In any organization, formal authority doesn't get you very far. Influence does. I learned early in my career to find t...
08/14/2026

In any organization, formal authority doesn't get you very far. Influence does. I learned early in my career to find the "opinion leaders" and get them on board. That's the first of the excellent "five ways" this article recommends.

As formal authority becomes less effective in modern organizations, leaders increasingly face the challenge of influencing outcomes without direct control. So, they must learn to exert indirect influence in five ways: identifying hidden power brokers who shape decisions; using discreet back channels...

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