Developing and maintaining a productive relationship between your board and Executive Director is beneficial to the overall health of the organization and, most importantly, it helps keep the focus on your organization’s core mission.
Working With Your Executive Director
- The board and Executive Director should have a solid understanding of their roles. The board provides direction as one cohesive voice, while the Executive Director helps actualize visions and manages day-to-day activities, as well as staff. Executive Directors should act on behalf of the entire board, and not on any one individual member.
2. Communication is the key to building trust, which develops over time when leadership puts values into action. Create an open environment where everyone feels safe to be honest, not only about their vision and goals but about misgivings and mistakes. Different perspectives should always be respected and understood. The Executive Director should plan well-designed board and staff retreats where everyone gathers together, while also meeting one-on-one with the president and individual board members.
3. Always be clear about the Chief Executive’s mandate, which includes two dimensions: accountability and authority. CEOs are accountable for mission-based results, financial performance, and healthy organization development – they are empowered to act on the strategic mission of the board.
4. Jointly determine what to include in regular board reports. This could include achievement of the organization’s mission, financial status, progress on strategic goals and updates on emerging trends or challenges. There should be no surprises on either side, between both the board and CEO. The board and Executive Director should learn together. As boards and Presidents change, survey the board to determine individual strengths and then utilize those strengths collectively!
5. Finally, the board should review the CEO’s performance regularly, annually at a minimum, to reflect various aspects of performance.
Each board has its own set of challenges, but these reminders can help achieve better board and CEO relationships and strengthen associations.
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