Is your board of directors a dream team? Do you love heading into board meetings because you’re excited about what is going to be accomplished? Or are you frustrated that the meeting will fail to deliver the high-level and strategic decisions that your association needs?
Your board of directors sets the stage and leads the charge for your association’s success. A great board means an awesome and sustainable association.
Often the CEO faces an uphill battle to move forward because of friction and inefficiency at the board level. So what’s the path to take your board from the ordinary to the extraordinary? Here are 6 tips.
- Effective board training.
- Top drawer director recruitment.
- Effective strategic planning, monitoring and accountability.
- Effective, well-facilitated, high-level board agendas.
- CEO confidence and conviction.
- Managing “difficult” board members
Effective board training
- Every new board member needs live training as soon as they join.
- Current board members need regular updating of their role.
- This could be an annual training event or a quick hit at each board meeting.
Top drawer director recruitment
- The best prospects are attracted to a strong, effective board. If you deliver that, they will come.
- Start your recruitment at the committee/task force level and monitor their engagement. This is your director pipeline.
Effective strategic planning, monitoring and accountability
- The board must be engaged in setting strategic planning and accountability for each element.
- The plan must be reviewed annually for its progress.
Effective, well-facilitated, high-level board agendas
- Design the agenda to focus on strategy, not operations.
- Train the President/Chair to stick to the agenda and keep on track.
CEO confidence and conviction
- You need to have the conviction to risk your job.
- If the board is in danger of making a bad decision, you need to call out and stand tall.