Skills-based Board Toolkit

Shared by AFHTO & Collaborative Solutions 

Created March 2018

A skills-based board toolkit has been prepared for teams. The toolkit, prepared by governance consultant Catherine Anastakis, provides an overview of current thinking about board skills and skills-based boards, as well as practical tools and tips for enhancing the skills capacity of any board. It’s intended to do the following:

• Support teams in meeting the new contract requirements;
• Be of use to those FHTs that already meet the board skills requirements of the new contract; and
• Support NPLCs in considering the skills and composition of their boards.

Using a skills-based approach to composing the board is considered a leading governance practice, and it is now required of all FHT boards. 

Access the tools:

• Skills-based Board Toolkit (PDF)
• The slide deck and recording from the “Demystifying Skills-based Boards” webinar is here.

Resource includes: 

1. Introduction
   1. Purpose of the skills-based board toolkit
   2. Skills-based board requirements in the new FHT contract
2. Background/Context
   1. Why board skills are increasingly important
   2. Clarifying Terms: Board Membership vs Board Composition
   3. Common Concerns about a “skills-based” board
   4. Other Considerations related to Board Composition
3. Developing Enhanced Skills Matrix
   1. A four-part approach to board composition
   2. Developing or Enhancing your board’s composition Matrix
4. Enhancing the Skills-based Capacity of the Board
   1. Step 1: Assess and identify skills gaps
   2. Step 2: Develop a plan to enhance board skills
   3. Step 3: Refocus recruitment to address gaps
   4. Step 4: Enhance board skills through education
5. Using this toolkit
6. Appendix
   1. MOHLTC-FHT Contract Schedule A
   2. Sample Board Composition Planning Tool
   3. Sample Four-Part Board Skills Matrix
   4. Sample Board Recruitment Letters (External and Internal)