Starboard’s Blog

A discussion that I had today with a board chair caused me to think about word choice and the potential trap we can fall into as we work to strengthen the make-up of a board. Think about how current board members might react when they hear discussions about “recruiting a stronger board” or attracting “better board members.”  It would be reasonable for them to ask, “So what’s wrong with me?”

Let’s acknowledge that in the same way that organizations and their leaders need to adapt and change to meet new challenges, so do boards of directors.  For most organizations, that means that the skill-set, talents, and experience the board needed 6 years ago, for example, are likely to be different than what are needed today.  So we aren’t looking for “better” or “stronger” board members.  We are looking for board members who have the skill-set we need today and as we look to the future.

Take the time to look at your strategic plan…at where you want to be in the future…and then honestly assess what you’ll need from your board members in order to help you get there.  It is likely that as board members “term out” that you won’t want to replace them with new members who appear to be similar or even identical.  More than likely, you will find this to be a great opportunity to expand and diversify the skills, talents, abilities and experience of your board.  Don’t miss the opportunity!

As boards begin to get strategic about their recruitment (see my earlier posting: “Why me?”) it makes sense to start using a tool that most describe as a “nominating grid.”  The grid can be as simple or complex as you want to make it, but the goal is to show on a single page what board skills, abilities, and experience you’ve identified as being essential and where the gaps are.  Used correctly, it brings real focus to the nominating process.

Some easy instructions:

1. List down the left side of the spreadsheet the skills, abilities, and experiences that you’ll need in the coming 3-5 years in order to move your strategic plan forward.  List items like “legislative experience, fund raising skills, etc.,” rather than “banker, accountant, lawyer.”  You want attributes, not job titles.  Also list any other key factors to which you would like to pay attention, like the number of men and women and other diversity factors that may be appropriate to your board.
2. Across the top, list your current board members, grouped by when their terms end.  This will help you see what skills, abilities and experiences you may be losing each year.
3. Ideally, a board survey or inventory filled-out by each board member in advance will help you identify what strengths each of your board members have (reflected in the spreadsheet with an X), but this can be done by one or more members of the nominating committee, or the executive director, in a pinch.
4. Review the spreadsheet as a committee to identify where the gaps are (or will be), and identify where the focus of the recruitment effort should be.  Only after completing this process should the group start generating names of potential board members.

It is always amazing to me to see how a simple tool like this can change the conversation from “I know a guy in my neighborhood who would be great,” to a much, much more strategic discussion about what the board and the organization really needs.  Just be sure to develop your own criteria for the left side of the page (that is the essential strategic discussion) and take the time to review it annually.

As the “new guy” on a few boards in recent years, I’ve come to greatly appreciate those boards that put name cards in front of each board member at every meeting (or have board members wear name tags).  Too often the assumption is that “we all know everyone here,” but it isn’t always just the new people who benefit from name cards or name tags.  Rare is the board where board members have ongoing relationships or frequent contact between meetings with their fellow board members. Seeing fellow board members once a quarter, or even once a month, can leave those of us with short memories searching the recesses of our minds for a name. 

Name cards and name tags may seem like an unnecessary formality, but you can be sure it will mean a great deal to your newest board members, to staff and guests who come in for presentations, and to those who just struggle a bit with names.

One of the best moves I made as an executive director of a nonprofit was to hire a real professional to lead our marketing and communications efforts. She did her homework, got to know the organization, tested our market image in the community, conducted research with donors, and gathered as much expert advice as possible.  She developed a great strategy (at least I thought so), drafted some top-notch materials, and seemed ready to move ahead, but that is when I introduced her to the marketing committee.

The marketing committee was a great group of interesting people, chaired by a board member, and all of whom seemed to have at least some level of marketing experience.  The reality, however, was that few, if any, knew our business (or had the depth of experience we would have liked).  They were observers of our work, at best.  So what they became was a group that came together, tore apart the good work of our communications director, and offered alternate ideas (often truly terrible ones) that they expected her to pursue.  What should have been a tremendous resource was a committee that became a tremendous obstacle.

If we had not been able to hire a communications director, perhaps this committee would have played a more valuable role, but I have my doubts.  For most organizations it is hard to get around the value of hiring an experienced marketing staff member or biting the bullet and paying for some professional advice and/or design help.  When we think of those organizations that appear to really have their acts together, it is often because their communications materials look professional…that’s “professional,” not “expensive.”

If your communications director is a professional, rethink the need for a marketing committee. Instead, you may need a group that is ready to help with an event, organize a “thank you rally” for donors, or do other hands-on activity.  Or you may find it beneficial to have a group of volunteers who can come together and serve as a focus group early in the design process. But, in any case, it is probably unlikely that you really need a standing marketing committee.

It would be great to hear from those who have found success with their marketing or communications committee.  Tell us what has worked for you!

It seems as if I’m constantly telling organizations that their biggest organizational risk comes from the potential for an enormous lawsuit over a personnel issue.  It may seem odd, then, that I am going to recommend that most boards of directors do not need a standing personnel committee. 

For the most part, the board should stay out of personnel management. “But we don’t want to manage,” you say. “We just want to make sure that employee issues don’t lead to real problems for the organization.” Keep in mind that you’ve hired the executive director to handle the day-to-day details of the organization and direct the execution of the work plan. If you don’t trust him or her to handle the personnel issues, then fire the executive director and find someone you do trust. 

Better yet, help your executive director get matched-up with an experienced human resources professional who can mentor, support, and help him/her through the basics of personnel management. This person does not need to be a board member. Back-up this resource with an employment attorney who the executive director is authorized to call as needed.  Most personnel issues need resolution quickly…like in the next few hours. Give your executive director professional resources to call, not a committee. 

Finally, there are times when it makes great sense to pull together an ad-hoc personnel committee. Maybe it is time to update the personnel policies, review salary ranges, or tackle some other task with a clear beginning and end.  Ask a board member to chair the committee, and then look for volunteers with real expertise to join him/her.  And remember that employment attorney I mentioned earlier?  Your committee chair is sure to appreciate the opportunity to have him/her review their work.  It is sure to be money well spent, and cheaper than any insurance policy!