Staying sharp depends on consistently doing the fundamentals well. Experience may create the illusion that we’ve moved beyond the fundamentals, but in my work with organizations of all sizes, I see that these basics remain the foundation for effectiveness. They’re easy to overlook, but always essential.
A Story From the Batting Cage
Trying to Hit a Baseball
Years ago, I had moved into coaching upper‑tier showcase baseball. These were talented fifteen‑year‑olds who already had strong mechanics and a solid grasp of the fundamentals. At that level, coaching becomes a matter of fine points—small adjustments, subtle timing cues, and situational awareness. Fundamentals fade into the background because everyone assumes they’re already mastered.
One afternoon, after a long practice, we still had a few minutes left in the indoor facility. I stepped into the batting cage, partly out of curiosity and partly out of pride. If I had been coaching these players on the finer points, surely my own swing would have improved along the way.
It took only a few pitches to realize the truth. I couldn’t hit the ball. Not even close.
Doing the Fundamentals Well
After a dozen humbling swings, I stepped back and laughed at myself. Then I did what every coach eventually tells a struggling player: get back to the fundamentals. I focused on one thing—watching the ball all the way to the bat. No fancy mechanics. No overthinking. Just eyes on the ball and hands to the ball.
And just like that, the problem disappeared. The fundamentals had never stopped working; I had simply stopped using them.
A Recent Board Meeting
Not long ago, I returned to work with a small client I hadn’t assisted in nearly a decade. The assignment was to help the board work through a strategic issue. I’ve facilitated hundreds of board meetings, but walking into that first session, I had a flicker of nerves. It took me a moment to understand why.
The stakes were personal.
These weren’t corporate executives buffered by layers of staff and process. These were neighbors, parents, volunteers—people who would see each other at the grocery store the next morning. Their decisions didn’t just affect budgets or timelines; they affected kids, families, and community trust.
So, before the meeting began, I reminded myself of what I had told myself in the batting cage: focus on the fundamentals.
Little League Board Meetings
Years ago, when I served on a Little League board, the conversations were always grounded in what mattered most to the families. Playing time. Balanced teams. Costs. Safety. Getting kids to the next level. No one wanted to waste time, and no one wanted decisions made in a vacuum.
Those meetings taught me that the fundamentals of small‑organization governance are as much human as procedural.
Board Meetings These Days
Most of my business-related board work now happens on a bigger stage—regional authorities, statewide commissions, major infrastructure decisions. The fine points of Robert’s Rules of Order often dominate the conversation. Procedure matters, but it can easily overshadow purpose and human perspective.
Yet even in those settings, when the pressure rises, the fundamentals kick in. They always do.
The Fundamentals of Small‑Organization Board Meetings
For community‑embedded boards, service is personal and visible. The meeting leader must shift from being a formal presiding officer to becoming a strategic facilitator. That is someone who keeps the group aligned without silencing the voices that need to be heard.
1. Trust Is the Real Currency
Trust is built slowly through transparency and lost instantly through silence or surprise. In small communities, trust isn’t abstract. Trust is built on relationships.
2. Meetings Must Respect the Human Stakes
Every agenda item carries consequences for real people. That awareness should shape tone, pacing, and decision‑making.
3. Emotional Steadiness Matters as Much as Expertise
Technical knowledge helps, but emotional steadiness is what keeps discussions productive when issues become personal.
4. Legitimacy Before Authority
Formal authority means little if the board doesn’t feel ownership of the process. Legitimacy is earned through clarity and consistency.
5. Role Clarity Protects Relationships
Clear boundaries between governance and operations prevent personal conflicts from becoming organizational problems.
Doing the Fundamentals Well
I’ve always believed in doing, not just talking. Writing about what I see helps me stay grounded. Leading small‑organization boards does the same. Early in my career, a small contractor once told me, “I may be little, but I give you all I’ve got.” That line stuck with me.
When everything is a little smaller, everything is a little more personal. And that’s exactly why and when the fundamentals matter most.
Empathy. Ethics. And above all, staying sharp by doing the fundamentals well.
JD Solomon Inc. provides solutions for program development, asset management, and facilitation at the nexus of facilities, infrastructure, and the environment. Visit our Facilitation page for more information related to all types of facilitation.
JD Solomon is the founder of JD Solomon, Inc., the creator of the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©. He is the author of Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get Your Boss’s Boss to Understand and Facilitating with FINESSE: A Guide to Successful Business Solutions.
