Managing Board Relationships

At the beginning of Deborah Howard’s session for NPCC members on board relationships, she noted that an executive’s relationship with his or her board is probably one of the most difficult to manage, next to that of family. 

Howard noted that this topic is not about board governance, rather, it’s about how to get the relationships to operate well.  To start, you’ll need to probe to gain insight on the status of your board relationships.

Alignment & Balance.  Examining board alignment and balance can raise questions such as:  Is there alignment between the needs of your organization and the work of your board?  Is there balance in your relationship with your board in terms of their involvement?  Do they micromanage or are they disengaged and unavailable?  Do board members work well with each other?

Boundaries & Connections.  Examining boundaries and connections can raise questions such as:  Do you have good working relationships and connections with board members?  Do some of them cross boundaries in terms of their roles and responsibilities?  Do any of them cross boundaries in terms of interaction with staff members?  Do individual board members have a clear understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities?

Clarity.  Examining issues of clarity can raise questions such as:  Can members of your board clearly articulate organizational direction, priorities and strategies?  Are members clear about the organization’s mission, vision and values?  Are they clear about their expectations of you?  Are you clear about your expectations of them?

Discernment.  Discernment requires an examination of decisions and judgments, raising questions such as:  Does your board make good decisions?  Are their decisions based on sufficient data?  Does your board have blind spots that need to be addressed?  Is the board making decisions appropriate for board members to be making?

Ninety-nine percent of the time, a difficult board member means that you haven’t had a difficult conversation.  In other words, you haven’t had a true, one-on-one conversation with the problem board member.

Think about the best relationships you have with any of your board members.  What makes these relationships work well?  What does the board member add to the relationship?  What do you bring to the relationship? 

Perspective.  As an executive, you need to be able to put yourself in others’ positions in order to try to see how they might interpret things.  It’s about being multi-dimensional and being able to change your perspective.  For example, create two pyramids with a hierarchical power structure of top, middle, and bottom.  In the first, place the board at the top, you (executive director) in the middle, and staff at the bottom.  In the second pyramid, you are at the top, your managers in the middle, and the line staff at the bottom).  Your perspective is totally different. 

What is your view when your perspective switches?  It probably will change depending on where you’re standing.  The point is:  step into others’ shoes; examine your frame of reference. 

Effective communication is key to being able to develop and sustain good working relationships with board members.  Keep in mind that communication happens whether you intend it to or not.  What you say, don’t say, do, and don’t do sends a message.  It is essential that you are intentional about what, how, and when you communicate so that the message sent is the one you want to convey. 

Even when you communicate at your best, conflicts and problems will arise.  Communication preferences vary, so find out which method board members prefer (email, snail, phone, etc.).

Feedback is information you give to another individual about how their actions or words are impacting you or the organization.  Feedback is given with the goal of enhancing the work of the organization or the workplace relationships.  Your board members cannot read your mind, so let them know what you are thinking and feeling. 

Effective feedback will help your board members better understand you and your needs.  First, describe the action or behavior (describe it, but do not evaluate, judge or interpret it).  Second, describe the impact it has on you, the organization, or your relationship with the board member.  Third, request what you would prefer be said or done.

Howard closed by recommending attendees tackle four to-do items:  Talk less, listen more.  Have that “difficult” conversation now.  Have more one-on-ones with your board.  Clarify expectations and hold boundaries.

Deborah Howard is founder of Guiding Change Consulting, specializing in leadership, team building, conflict resolution and organization development.  She can be reached at 718-857-6830 or debhoward@guidingchange.org.  Her site is at www.guidingchange.org.

This article originally appeared in the July 2008 issue of New York Nonprofits, the monthly publication of the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York, Inc. www.npccny.org