Photo by Angel M. Cuesta
It is time that we hold board members’ feet to the fire and send them a clear message: commit or quit—“Either get involved in the life of the organization or go find another cause.” “Either talk to people about what we do or go crawl in a hole somewhere.” “Either…” oh, I could go on for days. Unfortunately, speaking this kind of truth to (nominated and voted-in) power typically leads to: 1) you getting fired or 2) your board members actually quitting. Though it would feel great to say these things, it is not productive.
I used to think that the difference between a board that just shows up (or does not show up) and a board that takes action is the individual people involved. Sometimes it is, but most of the time it is the way a board acts together. For instance, if you showed up at your first board meeting and 45-minutes was spent on giving staff advice on how to give-away tickets to the upcoming fundraising event, you might think that giving advice is your job instead of supporting a successful event. Or you show up and each committee chair refers to the executive director or other staff to give the report, you might think that your role is an honorary one or you are just there to make sure staff does not do anything illegal.
How a board works sends implicit messages about role and expectation. In order to change the message, we have to change how the board conducts its business.
• Crack Open the Board Meeting – Two-hours in a room pushing information at one another is no fun. How about getting committee reports done in 15 minutes and spending the rest of time discussing strategic ways the organization can affect change.
• Focus on Inquiry and Dialogue – There is no prize for the best advice. In order to collaborate together, board members need to stop stating their own ideas and start listening to one another and asking questions. Through deep discourse board members are able to learn about the organization and its cause. Ultimately, they learn how best to work with other board members and staff.
• Build Public Milestones – The goal to increase individual donations may inspire the executive director, but it will not inspire a community volunteer. Boards and staff leaders need to be engaged in a dialogue about the future destinations they wish to reach that will excite the public and advance their cause.
• Take Action with a Beginning, Middle, and End – Bring a sense of organizational journey to board members’ work. Tie committee work to milestones, use benchmarks to evaluate progress, and help them see the results they create.
Finally, I believe most board members are ready to commit. Board member dedication is driven by board culture, that is why it is so important to ask the truly lazy to leave. This is the strongest message you can send to a committed board member: “We value your commitment so much, that we are only willing to surround you with people who are as deeply engaged as you.” This is a message they want to hear.
Carlo Cuesta can be reached at [email protected]
