responds to a reader’s question about the best book on board governance. Plus,
. Also, check out the resources in the
.
From a reader: “Hey, Pearson! What’s the best book for our senior team and board members to read on board governance best practices?”
Me: “Pick one from my list of 18 best board books!”
In 2018 and 2019, I blogged a series on “18 Good Governance Stimulators” for ECFA’s
Governance of Christ-Centered Organizations Blog. (The list is below and
here’s the original list—with links to short reviews of each book.)
Here’s what I wrote back then:Last week, a board chair emailed me that he’s following the “10 Minutes for Governance” practice suggested in
Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom (see
Lesson 39). Using a governance book that fits their board’s culture and season, each board meeting will feature a 10-minute segment to inspire board members in God-honoring governance. He’s already assigned board members to lead the next four segments.
“Great Boards Delegate Their Reading” is the title of
Lesson 38 in
Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom. It’s true! So…select one book, appoint an avid reader as your “Leaders Are Readers Champion” and watch boardroom engagement soar.
PICK ONE:[ ] Book #1: Boards That Lead: When to Take Charge, When to Partner, and When to Stay Out of the Way, by Ram Charan, Dennis Carey and Michael Useem - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #2: The Imperfect Board Member: Discovering the Seven Disciplines of Governance Excellence, by Jim Brown - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review. (Plus, see Brown's new book:
The Imperfect CEO.)
[ ] Book #3: Best Practices for Effective Boards, by E. LeBron Fairbanks, Dwight M. Gunter II, and James R. Cauchenour - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #4: Stewards of a Sacred Trust: CEO Selection, Transition and Development for Boards of Christ-centered Organizations, by David L. McKenna - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #5: Owning Up: The 14 Questions Every Board Member Needs to Ask, by Ram Charan - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review. (See
14 blogs on 14 questions.)
[ ] Book #6: Serving as a Board Member: Practical Guidance for Directors of Christian Ministries, by John Pellowe - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #7: The Nonprofit Board Answer Book: A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives (3rd Edition), published by BoardSource - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #8: The Practitioner's Guide to Governance as Leadership: Building High-Performing Nonprofit Boards, by Cathy A. Trower - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.[ ] Book #9: Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board, by Max De Pree (Check out the
30-blog series here.) - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #10: Good Governance for Nonprofits: Developing Principles and Policies for an Effective Board, by Fredric L. Laughlin and Robert C. Andringa - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #11: Boards That Make a Difference: A New Design for Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations, by John Carver - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #12: Call of the Chair: Leading the Board of the Christ-centered Ministry, by David L. McKenna - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #13: Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability, by Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka and Steve Zimmerman - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #14: Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t – Mastering the Rockefeller Habits 2.0, by Verne Harnish - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review (my 2018 book-of-the-year).
[ ] Book #15: Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: 40 Insights for Better Board Meetings, (Second Edition), by Dan Busby and John Pearson - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review. (Bonus:
40 blogs on 40 lessons.)
[ ] Book #16: The Council: A Biblical Perspective on Board Governance, by Gary G. Hoag, Wesley K. Willmer, and Gregory J. Henson - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #17: Lessons From the Church Boardroom: 40 Insights for Exceptional Governance, by Dan Busby and John Pearson - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review. (Bonus:
40 blogs on 40 lessons.)
[ ] Book #18: Humility, by Andrew Murray - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.Bonus Books![ ] Book #19: The Board and the CEO: Seven Practices to Protect Your Organization's Most Important Relationship, by Peter Greer and David Weekley - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
[ ] Book #20: More Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom: Effectiveness, Excellence, Elephants! by Dan Busby and John Pearson - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review. (Bonus:
40 blogs on 40 lessons.)
[ ] Book #21: ECFA Tools and Templates for Effective Board Governance: Time-Saving Solutions for Your Board, by Dan Busby and John Pearson - Order from
Amazon. Read my
review.
Note: Here’s the index to 22 blogs on the 22 tools and templates.
YOUR WEEKLY STAFF MEETING QUESTIONS:1) Toss this C.S. Lewis zinger to your board—and discern if your ministry is on the right road. In
The Council (Book #16), the authors quote Lewis’ insight from
Mere Christianity:
“We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” QUESTION: How would we discern if we’re on the wrong road?2) Kent Stroman, guest blogger for Lesson 38 in
Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, notes this from the U.S. Navy Seals,
“Under pressure you don't rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training. That's why we train so hard.” Check out the “
40 Blogs. 40 Wednesdays.” color commentaries on
Lessons From the Nonprofit Boardroom, by Dan Busby and John Pearson, including Lesson 38, “
Great Boards Delegate Their Reading.”
QUESTION: What book should our board read next?
SECOND READS: Fresh Solutions From Classic BooksYou have changed—and your problems have changed—since you read this the first time!Book #49 of 99: Eat That Frog!For your team meeting this week, inspire a team member to lead your “10 Minutes for Lifelong Learning” session by featuring Book #49 of 99 in our series, “Second Reads.” The big idea:
REREAD TO LEAD! Discover how your favorite books (and articles) still have more to teach you and the people you’re coaching and mentoring.
Eat That Frog!
21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating
and Get More Done in Less Time
Brian Tracy (2007)
Stop whining about your overwhelming workload—and listen up! Author Brian Tracy has good news and bad news for you. “…the fact is that you are
never going to get caught up. You will never get on top of your tasks. You will never get far enough ahead to be able to get to all those books, magazines, and leisure time activities that you dream of.”
•
Read my review in Issue No. 241 (Jan. 19, 2012).
• Order book from
Amazon (4th Edition, July 29, 2025).
• Management Bucket #9 of 20:
The Team Bucket.
The good news? Frogs! The author quotes Mark Twain’s wit and wisdom,
“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” So Tracy serves up two frog rules and 21 ways to stop procrastinating and accomplish more in less time.
•
Frog Rule #1. “If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first.”
•
Frog Rule #2. “If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn’t pay to sit and look at it for very long.”
BONUS! Read my blog,
“Inspire Your Team to Read a Book-a-Month on Time Management!” at the
Pails in Comparison Blog. (See the 13 time management books.)
CLICK HERE FOR BOOKS BY JOHN
Read why Gen. Stanley McChrystal writes, “Although I recognized its necessity, the mental transition from heroic leader to humble gardener was not a comfortable one.” See page 95 in the Team Bucket chapter of Mastering the Management Buckets Workbook.
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