Welcome to the latest edition of our CEO’s column News From Adam.
You all know that NEAS is about the English language teaching sector; that QA is our thing. You might even know that we are an association of members. Most of you reading this are probably members. What you might not know is that we (that is you, the members, the staff, NEAS) is governed by a board of directors. The board comprises 7 directors of which 3 are elected by the members, and 4 are independent and appointed. The board is my boss. That’s how it works. They set the strategy for NEAS, they oversee my work and they set our policy and broad direction. Some years ago, when I was elected to the NEAS board, I chose to complete the Australian Institute of Company Director’s course. It gave me a really important perspective on leadership. The difference between the executive dimension and the governance or board dimensions of leadership was something I had barely considered, but now know a lot more about.
I see now that one of the great strengths of NEAS is its board. It’s not just the people who serve on it right now (granted, they’re well informed and highly professional individuals), nor is it simply that our board exists (a committed group serving our common purpose). No. The strength of our board is that it combines member-elected directors with independent directors (directors from outside our ELT sector). This composition gives a particular balance to decision-making and, in my view, has played an important part in making NEAS what it is: a truly independent body that draws on knowledge of the sector from our member elected directors.
Now, why am I rattling on about the board? I’m telling you this because we have an election coming up and we will very soon call for nominations. I would encourage you to consider nominating. It’s a great opportunity to contribute to the sector and, if you’ve not served on a board before, to learn new skills. So, keep your eyes out for the notification and feel free to get in touch if you’d like to learn more.
August 2024
