In Part 1: ON Board, we looked at picking the right people, clarifying their roles, training them to succeed and keeping them engaged. Today we are going to discuss how to build trust and collaboration to truly get your Board of Directors above board.
Being up front, honest and building trust between Board members and between Board and staff is the foundation of healthy performance. If people don’t trust each other, they won’t feel safe to challenge each other or the status quo – and positive conflict is one of the most powerful forces that can be harnessed at the Board table to drive real change. They also need to firmly understand how they are doing relative to where they are expected to be. Here are some ways to encourage an environment of honesty and accountability.
Actively create a culture of trust and safety – Board members should be encouraged to speak their mind without fear of judgement. Your Chair can set this tone by creating the space for discussions which get to the heart of the real issues, ensuring everyone has a chance to voice their opinions, and that any points of disagreement are handled respectfully. If anyone feels shut down, they may stop contributing their ideas, which is a recipe for rapid disengagement. Diverging opinions shouldn’t be swept under the rug - they should be intentionally explored for merit and to help avoid groupthink. For new members, who commonly report that they like to absorb and learn before weighing in on issues, it’s important for them to know early on that their viewpoints matter and their fresh perspective can actually serve the purpose of healthy disruption. Then whatever decision is ultimately made, at least nothing has been left unsaid.
Evaluate your Board’s performance – It is common to hear “but they are volunteers” in response to formalizing evaluation. However, how will they know how they are doing? Really good Board members will want to know this and are used to measuring performance in their day job. This doesn’t have to be punitive – it can be celebratory. Highlight the things that are going well and how their contributions are supporting the success of the organization’s goals. One common strategy is to have them set goals for the upcoming period and evaluate themselves regularly. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but ask them what they would like to accomplish and then how they feel they are doing relative to this as well as other core expectations of all Board members or their specific role. In many cases, if someone isn’t quite where they want to be (or know they should be) they will self-identify, which opens up a great chance to discuss solutions. Just like in managing staff relationships, feedback shouldn’t happen just once or twice a year, it should be provided on an ongoing basis by the Board Chair and the ED/CEO, as appropriate to the situation – and regular evaluation sessions are a chance to reflect and plan in a deeper way. The team can also evaluate the Board itself – Board Effectiveness surveys and workshops are a common way to determine if they feel the team is accomplishing what they need to be doing and reflect on Board operations and governance issues like how the meetings are structured or the onboarding process. When you build a framework for ongoing feedback and accountability, your Board will continue to grow and get better as a unit.
Provide honest communications - Be candid with them about the good and the bad. Don't shelter Board members from bad news about the organization. By letting them into the inner circle, you can fight the tough battles together and not deal with issues in isolation, and they likely would want to give support. Also, be honest about their contributions or if something seems to be going off course with their role and involvement. Board members are well-intentioned people, but if you don’t share the truth with them, you are sacrificing an opportunity for progress and you aren’t being fair to them. The Board Chair and ED/CEO should be willing to have difficult conversations when they are needed. This will also be a positive sign to other Board members, especially your strongest ones, who would otherwise question why others at the table are not being expected to perform at a certain level. If you avoid honesty in the interest of harmony, then the fallout from that is your responsibility.
A key reason for having a Board in the first place is for a diverse group of people with varying ideas generating powerful strategy and uphold diligent governance. An environment where positive conflict is embraced and where there is open communication and clear accountability will lead to stronger decision making and better performance.
Stay tuned for Part 3: Not Bored, which will share ideas for keeping your Board passionate about your cause, engaging them in their roles and acknowledging their success.
Rickesh Lakhani passionately believes that every donor deserves to feel excellent about giving, and that the duty of a fundraiser is to bring passion towards enhancing the donor experience every day. He is adamant about always putting people first, then process, and that fundraisers, charities and social profit groups should not be afraid to have a personality. Rickesh is the Executive Director at Future Possibilities for Kids, where they provide leadership and life skills development programs for children and youth from underserved communities. Prior to this, Rickesh was the Director, Campaign at United Way York Region, leading an $8M annual fundraising campaign. He is on the Board of Directors for the Association for Fundraising Professionals of Greater Toronto and is the lead organizer of Be Good Be Social York Region, a conference promoting social media for social good. You can reach Rickesh on twitter here.
