Do you find yourself frustrated with the level of engagement of your Board members? Is your Board adding true value to your organization?
Most directors don’t look forward to going to a meeting to simply review reports, get updates and make a few decisions from time to time and rarely get engaged or passionate enough to make a true difference to the organization during their tenure.
A dynamic and effective Board of Directors should have a focused charter of responsibilities that is clearly laid out and accepted by the Board member prior to joining. In addition to legal obligations it should include expectations around the time commitments necessary to be an effective member and a willingness to participate fully in board activities. Although they are not usually regarded as such, boards of directors are teams that have a time bound mission of policy, strategy and oversight and should benchmark themselves according to a clear set of metrics.
The board chair must hold directors accountable to these commitments. More than ever today, both for-profit and non-profit organizations need engaged and effective boards. Rather than repetitive transactional meetings, make sure to leverage the board’s resources by taking the time to plan an overall board approach and strategy. Then leverage the unique strengths and passions of directors to board goals to board. This ensures that the precious time that board members are able to meet and work together will be valuable.
