Insights from Starboard: Board Chair Companion

It should probably go without saying that boards that function like a successful team have a shared commitment—a shared commitment to the mission and a shared vision for the organization’s future. However, in the board assessment work I do as a consultant, it is very, very common to find that board members aren’t sure whether …
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Sometimes it is hard to avoid sports analogies when it comes to talking about board governance. A well-functioning board of directors is very much like a successful sports team—a group of talented individuals, each with unique and complementary strengths, all setting aside their personal agendas to help the entire organization achieve success. As the board …
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I used to waffle a bit on this, but no more. Term limits are a very, very good thing for board members and for officers. While there are some wonderful nonprofits led by some wonderful board members and officers who have been there for years and years, I’ve become convinced that the benefits of turnover …
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Joining a new board can feel at first as if you’ve joined a private club. While you are struggling to figure out where to sit and what to do, everyone else seems to know each other and to have a shared history and vocabulary (which often includes an assortment of baffling acronyms). Despite whatever amount …
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While you might hope that as board chair you can leave it to your nominating committee to make the recruitment asks, the reality is that you may need to play an active role. If you are going to recruit strong board candidates, it is essential that you have the right person, or the right team …
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While it is your job as board chair to make sure that the right person is in charge of your board recruitment efforts and that there is a strong committee in place to support him or her, it would be a mistake to let the rest of the board off the hook when it comes …
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