EXECUTIVE UPDATE MAGAZINE
by Merianne Liteman and Jeffrey Liteman

Getting your Board on Board

Question: I’m having a hard time working effectively with my board. Most members, to the extent that they’re engaged at all, seem focused on trivia. How can I get them to stop micro-managing and think instead about the big picture?

An effective board can be a major asset to your organization. All too often, however, boards work independently of, or even at cross-purposes to, top executives, rather than playing a supportive role.

Rubber-stamp boards don’t work either. Successful organization executives tap into the skills and experience of their board to help them make strategic decisions and suggest solutions to difficult problems.

Good relationships don’t just happen by themselves, of course. It’s important to invest time in developing a real partnership with board members, getting to know them and what each brings to the table, and fostering a climate of mutual trust.

It seems axiomatic that the executive director should provide board members with the information they need to function and govern the organization effectively, but many executives see their board not a partner but as an obstacle to be overcome, and hold back critical information.

This isn’t to say that you should overwhelm them with information. If you do, they will either ignore it or get over-involved in operational details. Reading and digesting voluminous reports to prepare for a meeting can present a daunting challenge to busy people. And if they can’t keep up with the information, they may slow down board meetings, grow distrustful of the organization’s executive leadership, or simply stop attending meetings. Send them just what they need to know to help you make the big decisions about future directions, organizational dilemmas, and major opportunities.

Don’t spring major policy or program changes on the board. Instead, work with board committees and take their suggestions into account when recommending new directions. Send the board a brief summary of what you are considering in advance of the meeting and allow plenty of time on the agenda for discussion so members will feel they had a real voice in decisions. It’s better to discuss a few important issues thoroughly than to have superficial conversations about many smaller concerns.

Create a climate in which board members can raise questions and express differences freely. Help your board understand what you believe the big issues to be, and since they represent your members, encourage feedback. Are you missing major opportunities? Are you wide of the mark about members’ concerns? If board members feel part of the organization and the decisions you make, they’ll be much more effective strategists and advocates for you.

And take advantage of skills and interests of the members between board meetings. Work with your chair to create committees of members (and, perhaps, non-members as well) to advise on and support certain key functions rather than expecting the whole board to be involved in everything.

Have an annual board and staff retreat to review (and update if necessary) your organization’s mission and ensure that the programs you are planning are the best means of accomplishing it. A well-run retreat will refocus the board and staff on the big issues and rekindle everyone’s commitment and excitement.

Use your retreat to assess how well you’ve met past goals, celebrate successes, explore what’s worked and what needs improvement in board/staff collaboration, and set new goals. An outside facilitator can be a valuable resource in planning and leading the retreat, and can help you surface and address the key issues in a way that respects the board’s and the staff’s feelings and moves you forward productively.

Taking a longer-term approach, you should think about board membership in general. Does your board have a succession policy? If so, consider the mix of backgrounds, experience, skills, and range of contacts that would best serve the organization’s interests and supplement your own strengths, and share this analysis with the board. And then try to recruit new board members who possess these attributes and are knowledgeable and passionate about what your organization does and hopes to accomplish.

Then orient new board members thoroughly. Make sure they know your organization’s history and where it’s going, the board’s key policies, who the staff and other board members are, and what board members’ individual and collective responsibilities are.
Organization executives need to help their boards play their critical leadership role. Keep members informed, get them involved in important issues, seek their advice, and call upon their skills, and you’ll find partners in the board room, not adversaries.

Return to Top | Return to Previous Page | Return to Home