This Month's topic: Board and Non-CEO Relations
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| This Month's Topic: Board and Non-CEO Relations |
Each month, this area provides with a
number of my favorite and most helpful sites regarding the topic of the month.
|
Management
Tip of the Month
Each issue, I start with a discussion
of my management perspective on the month's topic, and give you a few hands-on
ideas to consider.
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Recommended Publications
Here, I provide you with my
recommendations on the materials available that can help you
become more mission-capable in the area of Board and Non-CEO Relations.
|
Technology
I provide you with some good ideas for
uses of tech to better your organization in the area of Board and Non-CEO Relations
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Marketing
Tip
So much to say, so little space to say
it.....
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Next
Issue
In September, we'll examine an issue that is very important, and often stressful subject of: Executive Transition
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Websites of the
Month
Here are my recommendations for websites of interest
on this month's topic: Board and Non-CEO Relations
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Management Tip of the Month
Board and Non-CEO Relations
"Should I let my staff interact with the board?"
"I'm on the board
and I see staff members all the time at other meetings I attend. Two
staff serve with me on our school's PTO. What's the appropriate thing
for me to do?"
"Our ED doesn't allow staff contact with the board. This bothers me. Am I off base?"
Those are quotes from e-mails I have received on this issue in the last
three months. I hear these kinds of questions often, and they address
an important issue. First, let's review my Third Rule of Nonprofits, a rule that will be familiar to regular readers:
"The Executive Director works for the Board. All the other employees work for the Executive Director. Period."
This rule means that
the ED is in charge of hiring, firing, and disciplining staff. It
doesn't mean that the ED should lock the staff away in a monastic
existence, banning all interaction with the board. In fact, the
healthiest nonprofits I have regular interaction between board and non
ED staff. But there is a line that some board and staff cross, and when
they do its always to the detriment of the organization. Let's look at
some examples of good and bad interaction.
Appropriate Interaction:
Staff members staffing board committees. I encourage this. It
highlights your great staff, is a tremendous growth opportunity for
them, and takes some of the load off of you.
Interacting with board members at fund-raisers, and other community events. Very appropriate, and healthy for all.
Staff calling board members to ask for help in making a community connection of some kind.
Staff and Board socializing or interacting as part of their non-agency
lives. Great, as long as the discussions stay away from agency internal
topics.
Inappropriate Interaction:
A board member intentionally calls non-CEO staff to "see what is going on in the agency".
A staff member calls a board member to complain about something in the agency.
Two board members take different staff to lunch once a week "as a check and balance on the CEO" (True story).
Fortunately, problems in this area can be usually be avoided by a
combination of good orientation, strong board leadership, and regular
reminders to board and staff as to what is and is not appropriate
behavior. Communication is key (See the Marketing Tip below).
Thus, my bottom line here is to encourage board-staff interaction at
appropriate places and times, and on appropriate subjects. Just keep my
Third Rule in mind!
If
you found this hint helpful, there are lots more management, marketing, and
technology ideas for you in the "Ideas" section at
www.missionbased.com. Check them
out--they're free.
And, remember to take a look at the
Mission-Based Management
Blog.
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Print Resources
My recommendations for texts on Board and Non-CEO Relations are
shown below. Click on the title to be taken to the title's page
on Amazon.com. There you can look at the book in more detail.
Nonprofit Boards: Roles, Responsibilities, by Diane Duca
The Nonprofit Leadership Team, Building the Board-Executive Director Partnership, by Fisher Howe
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Technology Tip
How can tech help with Board and Non-CEO Relations
As I noted earlier in the management tip, the key to reducing and even
preventing inappropriate interaction mostly centers around better
communications. Tech can help.
First, use your website to keep board informed of which staff to
contact about which subject areas. Note their name, phone and extension
and email, an include a picture. Update this area regularly and place
it in the board-only part of your website. This will help for
day-to-day issues.
In crises, though, you need to be more proactive: develop good email
and cell phone lists of your board members and if anything,
over-communicate about what is going on in the organization. This may
be in response to a financial crisis, a legal issue, a negative media
story, or a personnel problem that is "going nuclear". A quick
(accurate) email about issues like this does two things: first, it puts
you on record with your side of the story, and second it ameliorates a
lot of concern. Remember to call those board who either don't have--or
don't use-- email.
If you found this hint helpful, there are lots more
management, marketing, and technology ideas for you in the "Ideas" section at
www.missionbased.com. Check them
out--they're free.
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Top
Training Schedule for Peter Brinckerhoff
Below you'll see the date, location, and topics
of public training I'm scheduled to do in the next few months. For more
information on a particular speaking engagement, get in touch with the contact
person listed in the right hand column, or
email me.
For more information on my availability throughout
the next 12-18 months, available topics, sample agendas, and fees go to
www.missionbased.com/training.htm
| Date |
City |
Topic |
Contact |
| 8/8-9/06 |
Buffalo, NY |
Business Development |
NISH
Dave Wessel
dwessel@nish.org |
| 9/06/06 |
Ballston, VA |
Readiness for Business Development |
Workability International
Deborah Atkinson
datkinson@nish.org |
| 10/05/06 |
New Paltz, NY |
Nonprofit Stewardship |
Council of Community Services of NY State
Kelly Mathews
kmathews@ccsnys.org |
| 10/06/06 |
Quincy, IL |
Mission-Based Management |
United Way of Adams County
Cheryl Waterman
cheryl@unitedwayadamsco.org |
| 10/11/06 |
Couer D'Alene, ID |
Developing a Life Long Learning Organization |
NISH NW Regional Meeting
Susan Milstein
smilstein@nish.org |
| 10/26/06 |
Chicago |
Generation Change in Nonprofits |
North Park University
Kris Maldre
kmaldre@northpark.edu |
Marketing Tip
How can Marketing help in improving Board and Non-CEO Relations?
First and foremost, the problems in the area of board and non-CEO
relations often come from board members simply not having information
they need when, and in the format that, they need it. Make sure that
you play the prevention game by having information in board members
hands (or on your website as noted in the Tech Tip earlier).
Second, board inquiries that get out of hand seem to center around
crises. Boards are understandably concerned if there is an issue that
makes the local paper, or if there is a financial crisis. Make sure
that again, communications lines are clear, and that the board has an
abundance of up to date and accurate information regularly (which in
some cases may mean daily)
Third, remember to use your marketing asking and communications skills
by developing a short discussion session to be presented once a year
about appropriate board interaction. This session should be presented
by board and staff together.
Finally, it is rare in my experience that board members are malicious
in their inquiry, although it does happen. These suggestions will
prevent most inappropriate inquiries from happening, and when they do,
will go a long way to build the trust that is so important between the
board and the staff.
If you want to see more about this in detail, take
a look at more about my book
Mission-Based Marketing; Second
Edition
If you found this hint helpful, there are lots more
management, marketing, and technology ideas for you in the "Ideas" section at
www.missionbased.com. Check them
out--they're free.
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Top
Future Topics for
The Mission-Based Management Newsletter....
| September |
Executive Transition |
| October |
Advocacy |
| November |
When Boards Fail in their Role |
| December |
Conflict of Interest |
| January |
Business Recovery Plans |
| February |
New Tech Uses for Nonprofits |
| March |
Are Admin Costs Important? |
| Send me
your topic suggestions at peter@missionbased.com |
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You asked, so here they are:
Past Single-Topic Issues of the Mission-Based Management Newsletter...
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