About
The Accountability
Group
We’re glad you
found us.
About Good Governance
Boards can provide wise and steady leadership in challenging times. In today’s context, we do two things: support good governance so that boards are capable and in positive partnership with management, and inspire senior leaders to embrace the new reality with fresh perspectives that are regenerative in nature. We encourage boards to take the great care that great change requires.
We’re glad you found us.
If your organization needs a fresh orientation about what constitutes good governance today, or an introduction to regenerative governance, please reach out.
Warmly,
We are grateful to the photographers and illustrators whose images enhance our website.
GOVERNANCE for LIFE
What
We Do
The Accountability Group has supported good governance since 2008
Using a framework for regenerative governance—a critical strategy for today—we introduce interested boards and collaborators to the frames and questions that can guide regenerative thinking.
We help to design and embed this perspective into board and committee work, and agendas. Where knowledge and skills related to board fundamentals are needed, we provide an appropriate level of support for sound governance orientation.
TAG is a seasoned and collaborative partner for capacity-building organizations, networks and other consultants. Our clients have local, regional, national and international mandates.
We Offer
GOVERNANCE SESSIONS
- Introduction to Regenerative Governance
- Integrating Regenerative Governance
- Orientation to Board Fundamentals:
The Role and Responsibilities of a Board - Board and Staff Roles and the Optimal Partnership
- How to Ask Questions as a Director
RESOURCES
GOVERNANCE for LIFE
The TAG
Team
Support Where You Need It
Collaboration makes meaningful change possible.
The TAG team is a network, a web of support for our clients. We connect people and boards to 21st century inspiration, resources, and practices. Lyn McDonell and her team link up aligned professionals—people, firms and networks—in order to provide the specific resources that your senior leaders and their teams, both want and need.
Lyn McDonell
Lyn McDonell (MA, FCMC, C Dir.) is TAG’s President.
Lyn has held executive positions as CEO and COO at national organizations and served on boards as both Chair and Director. Since 2006, Lyn has provided governance training to directors in many sectors. She is a Chartered Director (C. Dir), Certified Management Consultant and Fellow. From 2007-2017, Lyn was a member of the Not-for-Profit Organizations Committee of CPA Canada, serving as Chair for four of those years. She is Past-President of the Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario and currently teaches “Accountability Issues in the Public Sector” as part of the Master of Financial Accountability Program at York University. Her focus on organizational life cycles supports contemporary boards on critical governance issues across a range of dimensions that include: complex system dynamics, human adaptation, climate change, energy and materials prospects, sustainability, ESG, regenerative and ecological economics, Web3, and decentralized and organizational design.
Lyn weaves insights from many contexts: the MITx program “Leading from the Emerging Future,” the Systems View of Life (Fritjof Capra), Regenerative Economics (The Capital Institute), Regenerative Leadership (nRhythm), Beyond Systems Thinking by ETHZurich and innumerable wide-ranging conversations in contemporary disparate and thoughtful networks.
Lyn is the author of “The Art of Asking Questions as a Director” in the 2nd Edition of The Handbook of Board Governance, published by Wiley in 2020. She is currently at work on a chapter for the 3rd Edition.
Lyn focuses on good governance, exploring its purpose and meaning in new contexts
She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, CMC-Canada/Institute of Certified Management Consultants of Ontario, the Global Governance Hub of the Presencing Institute, and the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (as a public member).
Lyn is active in emergent and informal groups related to governance, social innovation, collective impact and regeneration.
GOVERNANCE for LIFE
History
The Accountability Group has set a fresh new direction to facilitate, support and inspire regenerative thinking, thrive-ability and resilience.
Since 2008 The Accountability Group (TAG) has provided consulting and training services primarily, but not exclusively, to the public and voluntary sectors.
Typical sessions were about “who does what” (separating governance from the operations function), what good governance, quality leadership and oversight mean, and how organizations can develop smart strategies to have the most impact.
TAG then added board evaluations, governance reviews, strategic planning, and retreats for board development to its services.
Associates were recruited to provide leadership and facilitation on these projects.
The TAG team has always believed in the importance of our own accountability; that positive relationships make the difference between mediocre performance and great results; that leadership creates high-energy environments; that professionalism entails decision-making based on solid information; and in inclusion such that when people create a vision and can describe its success, they will work hard to make it happen.
Over the years, in a responsive facilitation process, TAG helped directors and staff have the key and authentic conversations they needed in order to bring about change.
Boards better fulfilled their key governance responsibilities and, with management, achieved not only good, but truly great and inspired leadership.
With almost no marketing, TAG was able to attract new clients based upon reputation and word-of-mouth recommendations alone. We worked primarily in Canada, with some Asian and American clients.
The Accountability Group now especially is committed to inspire regenerative thinking, thrive-ability and resilience. The tone is positive and the intent is to move towards the possible in wise ways.
Our Pivot in 2022
We reinvented our work to focus on leadership discovery and learning regarding the disrupted context of this decade. We now concentrate on 3 things:
1. Facilitating big-picture awareness with a regenerative approach
2. Sharing what is informing and inspiring us
3. Stimulating collective insight
For more information, see Our Services
Lyn McDonell
2008 Our Initial Sessions
2008 Seoul
2017 Inter-agency Consultation
The 2019 TAG Team
2021 “Women in Consulting” Panel
2022 Online Session
2022
GOVERNANCE for LIFE
What
People Say
Process and planning are excellent; Lyn McDonell’s ability to synthesize key trends and ‘hear’ what is being said is remarkable. Lyn has an ability to ‘cut to the chase’ as well, which is really appreciated. She has the ability to facilitate large groups and small conversations with ease. The passion that she brings to the process ‘catches on’ and people engage at a wonderful level.”
Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann
ECEDH, RN, BA, MBA
Executive Director
Grandview Children’s Centre
Lyn McDonell brought her expertise and delivered an individualized approach, tailored to the culture of our group and responsive to our specific issues. The training was very effective … and Lyn’s exploration of the issues and opportunities was insightful. We have had very good feedback from our Board and Staff who found the experience to be positive and valuable. We are already seeing meaningful changes and very interesting conversations about opportunities and how we can evolve our governance structure.”
Tammy Moore
Chief Executive Officer
ALS Society of Canada
The level of professionalism and diligence exceeded my expectations. Lyn McDonell’s style is both open and friendly, yet she never lets the conversation go too far and get bogged down in details. She is excellent at keeping the conversation at the appropriate strategic level.”
Maura McLaren
Former Executive Director and CEO
Real Estate Institute of Canada
Thank you, Lyn, for the tremendously positive governance retreat. You really know your stuff. You challenged the participants appropriately, and your outstanding facilitation skills shepherded us through some very difficult discussions. Working with you and your easy-going style was a joy.”
Dr. Bob Haig
Former Executive Director
Ontario Chiropractic Association
We had really good feedback from the retreat and Lyn McDonell received high praise … one evaluator commented ‘best yet’ in the section regarding the facilitator, so well done …. I appreciated how invested Lyn was in deeply understanding the issues we were studying in the context of our specific sector. As a result she brought great insight to our retreat, which was reflected in the excellent report Lyn and her team assembled for us after the event.”
Lon Knox
Secretary and Corporate Counsel
Queens University
What is unique and stands out about Lyn is her ability to understand complex situations and help groups of individuals reach common understanding of goals and objectives. She is equally at ease with staff and boards.”
François Couillard, CMC
CEO
Canadian Association of Optometrists
GOVERNANCE for LIFE
