Do You Need A Crystal Ball to Understand Your Board?

Categories: Board Member Roles · Board, Board Chair, ED/CEO Roles · Good Board PracticesTags: · · · · · · · · 1 Comment

I have served on many boards. Questions have come up about how boards work internally. Some boards are very transparent. Others not so much. Sometimes, it seems all the decisions are made by a small group of people behind closed doors. I identified five areas where I think all boards need to be more transparent. How Do I Get on The board? Some boards have trouble finding new board members; others have prospects knocking at their doors. With membership organizations — where board members belong to the organization — or schools — where board members are usually parents or alumni… Read more

Expert Advice on Conflict of Interest

Categories: Board Member Roles · Conflict of Interest · Good Board PracticesTags: · · · · · · · ·

In my last post, I shared a story of a school — they tried to figure out how to hire and then supervise the son of the head of school who was best qualified for a position. They had great intentions but there were too many conflicts and they ended up with a well-intended mess. Understanding conflict of interest and managing it appropriately is extremely important for boards. Not doing so can lead to legal risks. In today’s post, I interview Lorri Anne Dunsmore. Lorri Anne is an attorney with Perkins Coie, specializing in tax exempt organizations. She defines conflict,… Read more

No One Should Be Indispensable

Categories: Board Member Roles · Founder Transitions · Succession PlanningTags: · · · · · · 5 Comments

In my last two posts, I shared stories about a founder who stayed around too long and another founder who made a positive and gracious exit. In this post, I share a story about the founder of an all-volunteer organization who wanted to move on but could not because they were not set up for leadership transition. There are two lessons from this story. The first is to make sure you don’t rely too much on one individual – either as ED or as Board Chair. As a board member, you have responsibility for the well-being of the organization. If… Read more

How NOT to Choose Board Officers

Categories: Board Member Roles · Good Board Practices · Succession PlanningTags: · · · · 1 Comment

From a board member somewhere in the US I have been on many boards some dysfunctional and some wonderful. One of the most wonderful boards was an organization that focused on community health centers. It had grown from a small organization in the 1970s to having about 400 staff. It was great; well run; a poster child for its industry. I was honored to be asked to join the board.  I served on it for 15 years and chaired it for a couple of years. I chaired through the onset of the affordable care act and the changing of the… Read more