Governance Conference

A number of years ago I got to know Dick Chait, one of the authors of Governance as Leadership. But this was before that important work was done, and Dick was describing the relationship between a Board and its Executive Director. Two analogies have stayed with me (these are not direct quotes but you’ll get the drift):

The relationship between the Executive Director and the board is like having multiple dance partners. Someone’s toes will get stepped on.

It’s an arranged marriage – the partners often have never met when they get together.

I would add that the relationship is one in which people of good will struggle to find out how they can be partners and often fail at the task.

Consider this: The Board is in charge. The buck stops with them, and they are legally responsible for the organization. On the other hand, the Executive Director/CEO is significantly more knowledgeable about the nonprofit’s field of service than the Board ever will be, simply by virtue of the time spent learning.

This disparity can be, and often is, a barrier to an effective working relationship between the ED and the Board, more often in small and mid-size nonprofits. All too often one of the following scenarios plays out:

Deferential: Board members become overawed by their ED’s command of information about their field of service. They believe they can never know enough about the organization, so they simply opt out. They may still show up for meetings, but they abdicate all their legal responsibilities. They might also be called a “Go Along to Get Along” board, because they never ask questions. Interestingly, this type of Board is often highly supportive of the ED, creating a pleasant but unbalanced relationship.

Wrongly focused: This is the kind of Board in which the members focus on what they know best – management and operations. They regularly direct the ED in the details of his or her work, and they fail to address their legal and functional responsibilities of assuring a future for the organization. This becomes highly frustrating for the ED because, unless they are not qualified for the job, they know the management piece and, frankly, don’t need a board member telling them how to do their daily tasks.

Business-like: We’ve all heard the cry – “Why can’t nonprofits be more business-like?” In one very important sense, this is a good question to ask. Nonprofits must be well run and must utilize good financial and management practices. What the business-like board fails to acknowledge is that the nonprofit sector is very different than the for-profit sector, and there are different requirements and approaches.

Then there are the individual board member challenges. Consider these true stories:

• A board member has been given early retirement from his job, so he mounts a campaign to discredit the highly competent ED on whose board he sits. He wants her job, and he’s not shy about letting people know it.
• The ED of another organization who is chair of the board and who meets with that ED on a weekly basis to talk about the tasks she will be doing that week and how she should do them.
• The ED whose preference is for a rubber-stamp board and who demeans, openly in board meetings, any members who dare to ask questions.

Every Executive Director knows that he or she will never have an ideal board. We would all be delighted with a board that focused on their work and developed a good partnership with the ED. So what does that relationship look like? Here are a few thoughts:

• It is based on mutual, expressed respect.
• Everyone has a commitment to constructive, respectful and healthy questioning and to open, thoughtful communication.
• All the team members have clearly defined roles which, when combined, result in a balanced relationship.
• The Board and ED view themselves as partners in achieving mission. Each partner brings something to the “table” and is valued for what they bring.

Building this relationship is a lot of work, but the result can be a vibrant, productive group that is successful in making the world a better place.