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The
Jekyll and Hyde Board
I once worked with a
Chief Executive who appeared to have the “dream
board,” until it all went wrong. The
full Board was comprised of the community’s
great and good. They brought contacts and opened
doors to funding sources, appeared at key events
as champions, sponsored events and supported the
Chief Executive. The organisation’s criteria
for success were “money, media and members” and
the Board contributed in spades. Then it all
started to unravel.
With a strong economy, corporate donations
had been strong, major donors generous and foundation
money plentiful. When the belt-tightening began,
the Trustees became more frugal with their contacts and less generous with their
in-kind contributions. As the political and policy climate changed, they became
less outspoken about their support for the organisation. As their own organisations
and companies felt the pinch, they became more sparing with their time.
Faced with the prospect of a disengaged
and dysfunctional board, the Chief Executive re-evaluated
his situation. Why
did the once-brilliant Board suffer? At the most
basic level, people want to receive as well as to give. The
Chief Executive re-thought his 3 M’s, turning them
around from what the Board could bring to the organisation,
to instead reflect what the organisation could offer to
the Board in return for their support. They became motivation,
mentorship and message.
Motivation. Of
course, all organisations want trustees who are passionately
dedicated to the cause. But it is valuable to also
think about why busy and successful people are willing
to make time for you and your organisation. What
do you offer them? How will they or their organisations/companies
benefit from association with you? Returning to
the case study above, the Chief Executive carefully made
a profile of each Trustee, mapping their likely motivations
for wishing to be associated with his organisation. This
allowed him to see the situation from the perspective
of each individual and to look for new ways to motivate
and engage them on a personal level. For one the
motivation was linked to helping the disadvantaged, while
for another it was CV-building leadership experience.
Each of these called for a different, but no less personal
approach.
Mentorship. Every
board is comprised of individuals with varying degrees
of expertise in governance, the third sector and what
it means to be a high-performing trustee. Again, a highly
personalised approach is needed to ensure that each trustee
gets the mentorship that he or she needs for development. In
the case study above, the Chief Executive met with each
Trustee and defined a personalised development plan to
ensure that he/she was able to gain skills, experience
and confidence over time. They then felt that the
organisation was willing to invest in them, and were
therefore more inclined to give their best in return.
Message. Trustees
want to promote your organisation in the community. But
even the most highly motivated trustees need some
guidance to ensure that they do not accidentally over-promise
or undersell. Be clear in your message and your
expectations of the Board and they will feel comfortable
going forth and spreading your message. In the
case study above, the Chief Executive and Director of
Communications worked with the Board to create a strong
and consistent message to the community that showed that
the organisation was secure in its position and had the
full support of the Board. The Trustees felt more
comfortable delivering this clear message and were more
confident in their outward support of the organisation.
In the end, it was the personalised
approach that saved the Board. By taking the time
to invest in each Trustee, the Chief Executive sent a clear
message that the organisation valued the Board and wanted
to help them to develop as individuals, to allow them to
better contribute their time, skills and experience to
the organisation.
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