Transcript Board/Staff Relationships

Planning for Progress
Judith Lindenau, CAE, RCE
www.judithlindenau.com
BOARD/STAFF RELATIONSHIPS
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THIS SESSION
1. Build awareness of the similarities and
differences in roles between staff and
volunteer leaders
 Gain a working knowledge of techniques you
can use to strengthen teamwork between staff
and volunteers
 Understand the tools for keeping this
relationship consistent from year to year
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THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CHIEF STAFF
PERSON AND THE NUMBER ONE VOLUNTEER
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CEO
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Has consistency and history
Familiarity with day-to-day
operations
More familiarity with needs
of the ‘customers’
More conversant with the
organization itself
BOARD CHAIR
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Temporary leadership
Has divided attention
Responsible for leadership of
the Board and key volunteers
Must evaluate the CEO
INHERENT STRUGGLES
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CHIEF DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Determine the organization's mission and purposes
Select the executive staff through an appropriate process
Provide ongoing support and guidance for the executive; review
his/her performance
Ensure effective organizational planning
Ensure adequate resources
Manage resources effectively (the buck stops with them,
ultimately)
Determine and monitor the organization's programs and services
Enhance the organization's public image
Serve as a court of appeal
Assess its own performance
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DETERMINE MISSION AND PURPOSES
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Have a strategic plan
Review it annually
Put mission statement
on every agenda
Invest in public
statement of mission—
sign, ads, website
Position the Board to
continually think of the
Mission
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SELECT CHIEF STAFF APPROPRIATELY
Resource:
http://www.npgoodpractic
e.org/Resource/Resour
ceFile.aspx?resourceid=
8335
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PROVIDE ONGOING SUPPORT AND
GUIDANCE FOR THE EXECUTIVE; REVIEW
HIS/HER PERFORMANCE
Document the performance review process in
your policy manual
 Insist on an annual review, in writing
 Have review forms available for review
committee
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ENSURE EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL
PLANNING AND DETERMINE AND MONITOR THE
ORGANIZATION'S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
Long term plan
 Short term (one year) work plan
 Business Plans for every project
(www.judithlindenau.com/project_planning_ma
rketing.pdf )
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RESPONSIBILITIES FOR FINANCES
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Ensure adequate
resources (fundraising,
management control)
Manage resources
effectively (the buck
stops with them,
ultimately)
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ENHANCE THE ORGANIZATION'S PUBLIC IMAGE
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Board as ambassadors
Active presence in the
public eye
Ethics
Media Training
Disaster Plan
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SERVES AS A COURT OF APPEAL
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Member or Client
Concerns
Staff Appeals
Media Investigations
Grants and resource
decisions
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ASSESSES ITS OWN PERFORMANCE
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Self-Assessment for
Nonprofit Governing
Boards (Board Source)
The Drucker Foundation
Self-Assessment Tool
Process Guide, Revised
Edition
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WHAT THE BOARD EXPECTS OF THE CEO
Leadership
 Team Player
 Staff Manager
 Business Manager
 Communication Skills
 Community Involvement
 Personal Ethics
 Impeccable Financial Management and Control
 Business Development Skills
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WHAT THE CEO EXPECTS FROM THE BOARD
Legal Compliance
 Support
 Hands off Management
 Financial Support of the Mission
 Participation
 Personal Ethics
 Confidentiality
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WHO DOES WHAT?
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JOB DESCRIPTIONS
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CEO
Committees
Volunteer Officers
Board of Directors
Keep in your policy manual.
Review annually!
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ADD CONSISTENCY THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF
THE ORGANIZATION
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FORMAL PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES TO
MINIMIZE CONFLICT
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1. Have clearly written and approved procedures for
evaluating the chief executive and in an approach that
ensures strong input from the chief executive.
2. Have regular board training sessions that include
overviews of the roles of board chair and chief executive.
3. When a new board chair or chief executive is brought
into the organization, the two of them should meet to
discuss how they can work together as a team.
4. Agendas for board meetings should be mutually
developed by the board chair and chief executive
http://www.judithlindenau.com/create_agendas.pdf
5. Maintain an Operations Policy Manual, re-adopted regularly
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6. The board chair consults with the CEO when
appointing chairs for various committees.
6. Have clear written guidelines about the roles of
staff who provide ongoing support to board
committees.
7. Rotate the board chair position every few years to
ensure new and fresh perspectives in the role.
8. Develop board chairs by having vice chairs who
later become board chairs.
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10. Ensure all board members are trained about the role
of the board, its committees and their functions, and
that the board chair has basic skills in meeting
management.
11. The chief executive and board chair should never
conceal information from the rest of the board. The chief
executive should never conceal information from the
board -- all board members have a right to any
information about the organization.
12. Celebrate accomplishments, including by naming
the key people involved in bringing about successes.
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PERSONAL PRACTICES TO MINIMIZE
INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS
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1. Practice basic skills in interpersonal communications,
particularly in listening and giving feedback.
2. Whenever you feel conflict, identify to yourself what it is
that you're actually seeing or hearing that might be causing
the conflict. This attempt helps to differentiate whether the
source of the conflict is the other person's behavior or some
remnant of a relationship or situation in the past.
3. If you're feeling uneasy, then say out loud what you're
feeling. If you feel there's conflict or tension between you
two, name it out loud. (Dead Elephant Theory)
4. Recognize that conflict is inherent in any successful
relationship, particularly in a board if all members are
actively meeting their responsibilities. The important thing
here, again, is to name it if you think it's becoming an
ongoing problem. (Abilene paradox)
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The President’s Important Skill
CONTROL THE MEETING!
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PREPARE AGENDAS FOR DECISIONS
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Advance Packet
Supporting Docs
Staff Recommendations
Timed Agenda
Trained meeting
facilitator (ie, Chairman
of the Board)
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JUDITH LINDENAU, CAE
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