The art of board management

Working for a board of directors takes a special knack. An executive director must balance respect for the authority of the board member while being fully responsible for steering the organization in the right direction.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned from working for boards over the last three decades.

1.      Visit with each member individually. Go meet them on their turf. Ask ‘what would you do if you were in my shoes’ and if there is anything they would like to see the organization take off its plate. This is especially effective if timed before your annual review.

2.      Utilize committees to work through details and bring recommendations to the full board. It is more likely for the board to approve a proposal that comes from one of their peers, rather than staff.

3.      Keep strategic planning sessions to about 5 hours or less. Then report on the progress of those strategies in writing, in advance of each board meeting.

Use a concise strategic plan as a gauge to make sure the organization’s mission doesn’t wander into uncharted territory.

From time to time, an independent facilitator is effective in obtaining consensus so the executive can fully participate in developing clear strategies for the organization. Once an organization has a solid strategic plan and the executive director has the full confidence of the majority of board members, the future will be bright.