Working through “Board Follies”
When money is concerned, so is every issue under the sun. As a development professional, you see the situation repeatedly. Board members want to help the organization raise funds to fulfill its mission. You arrive, fully prepared to help them do just that…but first, let me tell you about the board member who regularly delegates work to the staff, about that Executive Director who micromanages every little thing, about that donor who feels she/he calls the shots around here.
So, now you’re certain that you’ve truly arrived at Dysfunction Junction. You are committed to this feasibility study/campaign/project and already have the Excedrin handy for the inevitable headaches associated with the interesting and different experiences in your near-term future. You’re wondering how you’ll ever raise enough money to hit the campaign goal in the midst of such turmoil. What to do, what to do?
First, be grateful for a bit of a mess. After all, if this organization were running on all cylinders and had more than enough leadership, resources and community support, it certainly wouldn’t need you and/or your organization.
Second, be a great listener to understand fully what someone is trying to communicate. As Stephen Covey says, when we seek first to understand, we have a much greater chance of our own communications being received openly and constructively.
Third, sort through and unbundle the issues, problems and concerns you gather. Sometimes the best value you can deliver is by helping those too close to the action uncluster the various items into a manageable list rather than an intimidating snowball, rolling and growing as it gains downward momentum.
The foibles of traditional board governance
Most not-for-profit organizations are governed in a traditional model of governance so flawed that their work could equate to rearranging the furniture on the deck of the Titanic. This is not to say that boards and their organizations are ill intentioned. On the contrary, they work harder than hard to fulfill their service to recipients and achieve their intended outcomes. Unfortunately, they manage more than they govern, leaving any paid staff to manage around them as well as manage and coordinate the board’s work as well. For a terrific discourse on the pitfalls of traditional board governance, read Boards that Make a Difference by John Carver (Jossey-Bass, 1990).
Short of the improvements that come from adopting Carver’s Policy Governance® model, most boards are barely, if at all, able to get out of their own way, with these basic challenges reflected in every area of the organization and board work, most certainly to include capital campaigns. Take heart in the fact that organizations somehow continue to operate and serve their recipients and communities in spite of these self-placed obstacles.
In the meantime
What can you do to become a better servant leader in the face of such adversity? Here are several tips:
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- Be well versed in the work of boards – Dr. Carver’s work provides the deepest insights available as well as an alternative approach that would signal a true turnaround for many board-governed organizations. There are other resources as well, including www.boardsource.org/ with many tools, guides and even live consultants who can answer critical questions. Have these handy in your own toolbox to help someone move past a particular challenge, and your service can carry a greater value to the organization.
- Serve on a board – Great insights come from one’s personal experience, and board service is no exception. You’ll gain clear understanding of the differences between style and substance, the macro and the micro, when you consider issues from the board member’s perspective. By carrying those lessons into your campaign efforts, you may find answers more easily than you would or could otherwise.
- Be patient with board members – Some boards do better than others in attracting talented, active board members. Remember that some board members simply don’t belong in the role and your goal is neither to displace nor disparage. Work through or around these individuals, enlisting their help as you can and minimizing any antagonism.
- Keep yourself clear and positive – The quality of being levelheaded when all around you is chaos constitutes a true value you can bring to the table. You do this best when you are fully rested, properly nourished, well exercised and regularly renewed. Be sure through daily reflection time to take out the mental, emotional and spiritual trash. For more on this, read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (Tarcher Putnam, 1992).
- Be well versed in the work of boards – Dr. Carver’s work provides the deepest insights available as well as an alternative approach that would signal a true turnaround for many board-governed organizations. There are other resources as well, including www.boardsource.org/ with many tools, guides and even live consultants who can answer critical questions. Have these handy in your own toolbox to help someone move past a particular challenge, and your service can carry a greater value to the organization.
Non-profit organizations, as all other organizations, are imperfect and challenged in many ways. Be mindful of the opportunities you uncover to add value to boards and their members as you handle these projects. By doing so, you’re more likely to be revered, referred and rewarded for your efforts
John Carroll is an author, professional speaker and President of Unlimited Performance, a Mount Pleasant firm specializing in high-performance cultures and helping leaders and organizations win the game of business and life. Contact John Carroll at (843) 881-8815 or via email at jcarroll@uperform.com