(The third in a series of insightful thoughts about the importance of agreement of a board’s Purpose, Roles, Goals and Behavior)
Are all your board members rowing in the same direction? Don’t worry if they’re not. There is a fix to this, and this fix holds true whether your board is elected, appointed, or is a volunteer board.
It is an honor and a privilege to be a board member. The position comes with a responsibility to understand the agreed upon purpose of your board. If board members know their board’s purpose, they can understand their roles, base their goals upon their roles, and ultimately exhibit consistent behavior that allows the organization to move forward.
“A successful team is a group of many hands and one mind.”
- Bill Bethel
Purpose establishes the WHY of a board. Roles establish the RESPONSIBILITIES of the board members. Without a clearly defined and agreed upon board role, individual board members may embrace an agenda different from the rest of the
board, impairing the ability of the administration from carrying out their
duties and responsibilities.
Board members need to understand the impacts and consequences of what can
happen when their perception of roles differs from the board’s.
The role of the board and the role of the CEO/Executive Director/Superintendent are similar and may overlap, but are can not be the same. The board must insure that they are not taking on the responsibility of the paid staff. Doing so can diminish the effectiveness of the staff by forcing them to defer decision making to the board.
A board that clearly understands it's role is able to provide the guidance necessary for an administration to carry out the mission of the organization and make the operational decisions in a timely manner.
“If a team is to reach
its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to
the good of the team.”
-
Bud
Wilkinson
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