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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 carlo@creationincommon.com
June 10, 2009 at 2:48 am, Kim Vanderwall said:
Hi Carlo:
Nice job in stirring the pot. And what you talk about is easier said than done, as you imply. I have these kinds of discussion behind the scenes with EDs and board chairs all the time.
The culture of the board really does drive how people participate. And the people on the board set the culture. It’s a chicken and egg scenario. You have to work on them simultaneously.
Finding the way to productively and graciously get board members to step closer in or step out. That’s a delicate dance that requires leadership. But getting everyone to focus outward on results is the key. People feel better about being on a successful and productive team.
Thanks for nudging us to have the courage to push for more!
June 10, 2009 at 4:21 am, Carlo Cuesta said:
You’re absolutely right. Leadership is the key.
June 11, 2009 at 12:48 pm, Paulette said:
You bring up some excellent points about re-energizing your board. I believe the tips are transferrable to any type of board.
I just joined an Advisory Board of a large local nonprofit and we are encountering these same problems. We are finding that so many individuals (young professionals) are eager to join a board to have a “leadership” bullet point to add to their resume. But they really don’t want to do the heavy lifting.
I am hoping over the next year, with the help of a cadre of engaged individuals (including myself), we can restructure our board into a strong, energetic and focused group of individuals. I would much rather have “quality” of members over “quantity” of members.
June 11, 2009 at 1:02 pm, Carlo Cuesta said:
Thanks for your comment. Past experience working with different boards has proven to me that the small group of board activists is most effective in bringing about cultural change within the board. Even so, that small group needs to be cultivate and cared for to ensure that it can sustain its activities.
June 13, 2009 at 11:38 am, Lori Jacobwith said:
This is important information for boards and staff alike. What you describe about board meetings generally spills over into committee meetings as well, in my experience.
Then an organization has an entire structure that relys on staff work, input and energy. To re-energize and change the current situation change must start with a few key individuals: both board and staff.
In this time of change and business as NOT usual, it’s a great time for the staff and board to speak frankly about the effectiveness of their current structure. I spend lots of time these days on these very conversations with the organizatinos I’m working with. Thanks for the article.
August 13, 2009 at 11:52 am, Equaripoorp said:
This look interesting,so far.
If it’s not just all bots here, let me know. I’m looking to network
Oh, and yes I’m a real person LOL.
Peace,