In a Nonprofit Board Forum discussion on LinkedIn, the above statement was more of a question than a description of best practice in governance. The discussion reflected the ambivalence in the nonprofit sector on the role of the board chair beyond being a facilitator of meetings. Many of the participants recognized that if you have a weak board chair and a strong chief executive you may create a rubber stamp board. On the other hand, a strong board chair might negatively affect the collective nature of the board where all members are leaders.
In the middle of the discussion Nathan Garber had this to say:
For boards to be effective, someone must be charged with the responsibility for ensuring that the board is able to do whatever work is necessary for the organization to fulfill its mission and achieve its vision. Most organizations expect this person to be the chair of the board but this is never made clear in the chair’s job description, policies or bylaws. As a result, many board chairs think their job is simply to chair meetings. They don’t know that good governance requires good leadership just as the CEO must provide good leadership for the organization’s programs and services to be effective. Too often, it falls to the CEO to provide leadership to the board, a role that inevitably leads to board members feeling accountable to the CEO and ultimately to deeper problems of accountability and authority.
Mike Burns, in a recent post on his blog Nonprofit Board Crisis, stated it much more directly:
…I believe that the nonprofit board chair is THE most important person in a nonprofit organization. Let me say this again… I believe that the nonprofit board chair is THE most important person in a nonprofit organization. Why? The Chair is responsible for keeping the board members together, making sure the board is results-focused….
Comments by Nathan and Mike help us move from a question: Is the board chair the leader of the board? to a statement: The board chair is the leader of the board!
as the senior volunteer leader of the organization
is responsible for leading the board in the responsibilities that are critical to good governance
empowers the board to move forward and build organizational capacity
cultivates a working partnership with the chief executive
We, as governance and organizational development practitioners, have the opportunity to significantly improve boards of directors by clarifying and enabling the board chair as the leader of the Board. According to Alice Korngold, a Fast Company blogger, building a better board is all about the board chair.
Let’s move from ambivalence to confidence. Let’s commit to putting the following governance partnership premises into action:
Every nonprofit organization has two key leaders
The board chair is a volunteer and is the elected leader of the board of directors
The chief executive is employed by the board of directors to be the leader of the organization
The board chair and the chief executive must work in partnership to lead the entire organization
The Des Moines Register published a great article on ChildServe and the relationship between the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive in the Sunday Des Moines Register (6/27/10). Lynn Hicks, the Executive Business Editor and author of the article entitled Partnership produces Superpower, did a great job of pointing out how this governance partnership enabled ChildServe to expand its mission to serve children with special health care needs and engage the staff by translating the mission and values into reality.
The fact that was a great article is not just my opinion… even though the article was about my role as the CEO of ChildServe. Numerous board members, staff, supporters and friends of ChildServe have contacted me via email, written notes, telephone calls and comments in the hallways expressing how great the article was and what a wonderful job Lynn Hicks did in talking about ChildServe. I trust their opinions…they have all been part of the team of people who have the growth and development of ChildServe possible.
I encourage you to check out the online version of the article by clicking here. If you get a chance, let me know what you think about the article.
The relationship between the chair of the nonprofit board of directors and the chief executive of the organization is, according to the theory on governance partnership, foundational to the new leadership model for nonprofit organizations.
The new leadership model for nonprofit organizations, according to the theory of governance partnership, is based on the following premises about the board chair and the chief executive:
Every nonprofit organization has two key leaders.
The board chair is a volunteer and is the elected leader of the board of directors.
The chief executive is employed by the board of directors to be the leader of the organization.
The board chair and the chief executive must work in partnership to lead the entire organization.
If the board chair and the chief executive want to develop an effective governance partnership, they must address the following dimensions of the governance partnership relationship:
The Structure of the Relationship. The roles and responsibilities of the board chair and chief executive describe the structure of the relationship. If job descriptions are not in place for one or both of these leadership positions, the board chair and the chief executive must begin the process of establishing a clear and a mutual understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities. If the structure of the relationship lacks clarity, the relationship will not develop into an effective partnership.
The Culture of the Relationship:The relationship between board chair and the chief executive must be based on mutual respect for each other and the organization. A commitment to mutuality creates a culture that enables the relationship to develop into an effective partnership. A culture committed to mutuality builds trust which leads to increased levels of openness and transparency between the board chair and the chief executive. The development of trust between the board chair and the chief executive fuels the expansion of organizational trust which can have a dramatic impact on the culture of the board and the organization.
The Process of the Relationship: There are a number of processes in the governance partnership relationship that must be managed. The processes include: the patterns of communication and interaction, decision-making and consensus building, and conflict management and resolution. It is the responsibility of the Chief Executive to ensure that these processes meet the needs of the partnership. In many regards it is the chief executive’s responsibility to nurture, encourage and equip the relationship to become a governance partnership. The chief executive must be a faithful presence.
The Outcome of the Relationship: The outcome of an effective governance partnership, according to the theory of governance partnership, impacts the culture of the board and the organization. It creates an alignment between the work of the board and the organization enabling the organization to achieve shared mission outcomes and improve organizational performance.
An effective governance partnership relationship between the board chair and the chief executive will enable the nonprofit organization to significantly improve its mission impact and organizational performance. The theory of governancepartnership is a new leadership model for nonprofit organizations!
Why is Governance Partnership important to nonprofit organizations? Why is Governance Partnership important to Boards of Directors, Board Chairs, and Chief Executives?
Here is my answer to these questions.
It is important because nonprofit organizations and its leaders are concerned about making sure that the mission will make a difference in the community. It is important because nonprofit organizations and its leaders are concerned with improving organizational performance.
Much of the guidance offered to nonprofit leaders today comes from books, conferences and consultants. Books focus on the importance of leadership and management and its role in improving and revitalizing organizations. Conferences offer name brand speakers who offer hope and inspiration to nonprofit leaders in search for new methods and solutions to attain organizational excellence. Consultants focus on individual and organizational improvement strategies.
Much of this guidance is based on the following leadership premises:
Organizations will be successful with the right leadership.
If you can recruit, hire and/or equip the Chief Executive or Executive Director with the right vision, skills, abilities, and charisma, the nonprofit organization will not only be successful, it will thrive.
Effective leadership leads to mission success and positive organizational performance.
These premises, according to the theory of governance partnership, are only partially true. They are only partially true because of its singular focus on the organizational leader. This focused approach excludes the board of directors. By excluding governance, the potential benefit and impact of the board of directors and what it has to offer is diminished. The current heroic model of leadership marginalizes the board of directors.
The theory of governance partnership is based on an alternative premise:
Every nonprofit organization has two key leaders.
The board chair is the leader of the board of directors.
The chief executive is the leader of the organization.
The board chair and the chief executive must work in partnership to lead the entire organization.
The theory of governancepartnership offers a new leadership model for nonprofit organizations.
At the very core of governance partnership is the possibility of a dynamic relationship between the Board Chair and the Chief Executive. If the board chair and the chief executive are committed to constructing an effective and dynamic governance partnership, they will be creating the cultural context for the board of directors and the organization to be aligned around a shared mission and common commitment to organizational performance. The quality and strength of the partnership, according to the theory of governance partnership, makes impact the overall success of the nonprofit organization.
That is why Governance Partnership is important to nonprofit organizations.
