Situation
As part of the assignment and the situation that the Foundation is in, it quickly became apparent that it would be of added value for the development of the student's product to attend the board meetings.

The board meetings discuss the current developments of the Foundation and the points that require attention. The board meetings take place once every quarter in the social box of the stadium, where most of the involved staff members are also present, in addition to the board members.

Task

Tasks

Board meetings

·       Attendance ·       Collaboration ·       Co-creation ·       Interviews ·       Presentation ·       Networking ·       Minute taker ·       Developments and updates

 

Action

The student discussed with the manager that it would be beneficial for the process to briefly pitch the developments during the board meeting on December 8th. The goal of this pitch was to inform the board members of the student's assignment and to ask whether the board members were willing to collaborate with the student to fill in a Theory of Change individually. To make this as strong as possible, the student had developed the idea in advance and created a manual that could also be used to support the story. Because this topic was last on the agenda for the board meeting on December 8th, the student took on the role of a minute-taker to make herself useful. At the end of the meeting, the student was given a short time to present the idea, in order to ask for cooperation. After the board meeting, the student further elaborated on the minutes, so that they could be sent neatly to the relevant people.

Between the board meeting of December 8th and March 10th, the student had conversations with all board members and worked these out towards a Theory of Change. Together with Ingmar de Vries, a general Theory of Change of the foundation was developed, which will also be the basis for the strategy of the coming years. To further involve the board in the developments, it was decided to present the version of the ToC to the board during the meeting on March 10th. So the student was allowed to attend the board meeting again and was responsible for the presentation. During the presentation, each board member received their own ToC on an A3 paper, so they could see which points were included in the general policy. In addition to presenting, the student also had the task of taking minutes again. Because the student has been involved in the organization for a longer period of time, she was able to talk about certain programs and topics, which made it more dynamic than the first time. This is also because the student is getting to know the board members better, which makes having conversations easier and more substantive.

Result

The result of the first board meeting is that all board members have been informed of the student's assignment and position. Additionally, the student gained insight into how such board meeting run and was able to get caught up on the latest developments. After the first board meeting, all board members scheduled a one-on-one meeting with the student to complete a Theory of Change. This resulted in five completed Theory of Changes. The second board meeting focused on presenting the completed ToC, where board members could give feedback. This feedback was incorporated into the next steps of the process and used to improve the ToC.

Reflection

Looking back on the board meeting, the student is very pleased with the opportunity she was given to involve the board members in the process. This has not only been beneficial for the process, but also for the student's personal development. Especially for the first board meeting, the student was mainly curious about what to expect and how the board members would react since she had only spoken to Alien before. The rest of the board members had never met the student. The student was not so much nervous, but rather tense because she wanted to present herself well and make a good impression. Therefore, the student had thought carefully about what to wear that day and what exactly she wanted to say. This fits very well with the character of the student, and she knows that it gives her peace of mind on the day itself and makes her more confident going into the meeting. Upon entering, all the board members were actually interested in the student's arrival and listened attentively to her story. The student was particularly curious about their reactions, whether they would be critical, ask difficult questions, or be eager to collaborate. In fact, all the board members were enthusiastic and open to working together. This felt like a small 'victory' because the manager had prepared the student for the fact that it would be difficult for them to collaborate, as they normally tend to stay in the background. After the meeting, the student and the manager briefly reflected on the meeting, and they both came to the conclusion that it had gone well and that it was very positive that they all wanted to collaborate. In addition, the student had presented herself well and made good minutes.

After the first board meeting, there were personal conversations with the board members. The student had prepared everything well and knew how she wanted to do things. The first conversation was with Harry Bouma, one of the older members of the board. During the conversation, the student quickly realized that the way she had planned the conversation in her head would not have the desired outcome if they continued on the way the first questions were answered. The student acted quickly and decided to approach it in a different way, which ultimately had even better results. The focus was no longer so much on filling in the template directly, but rather they went through the points by having a conversation. This allowed the student to focus better and give more attention to the answers given by the board members. What the student did notice was that it was different with each board member, and everyone actually needed their own approach. Because the student was deeply involved in the matter, this was possible, and each conversation led to the desired outcomes.

During the second board meeting, presenting the ToC was on the agenda. In the skybox during matches, the student spoke to some board members in between. During these conversations, the board members showed interest in the developments. This gave the student energy and a kind of peace of mind to prepare the presentation well. The student was looking forward to giving the presentation and was particularly curious about the board members' reactions. It was also the first time she gave the presentation to the other employees because they were absent during the first presentation. This was the only thing the student was nervous about because she is quite a perfectionist and likes to do things well and make a good impression. However, other points during the board meeting took longer than expected, so there was less time for the student's presentation. This is something the student can be clearer about next time and can ask for extra time. Now it felt like she had to rush through the presentation a bit. However, the reactions were all very positive, and they were impressed with the student's story. This gave a good feeling and also energy to continue with the process.