{"id":36600,"date":"2015-01-27T15:50:19","date_gmt":"2015-01-27T20:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=36600"},"modified":"2022-07-04T16:02:58","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T20:02:58","slug":"nonprofit-board-chair-ceo-relationship-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/nonprofit-board-chair-ceo-relationship-agenda\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Strengthen the Nonprofit Board Chair – CEO Relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My wife quit her job once and forgot to tell me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a sense she was unhappy, but quitting wasn\u2019t something she had mentioned. And it wasn\u2019t like a gig at Home Depot. She was our primary breadwinner. A big TV executive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s not like we didn\u2019t communicate \u2013 we did. Well and often. Several times a day. About grocery lists and weekend visits to see my mom. The typical \u201cweeds\u201d of running a household. But that big tree in the forest? We never actually made time to talk about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We both learned. I learned to ask more. We both learned about the value of longer, big picture conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Except for the dog she sprung on me, there haven\u2019t been surprises since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bet something like this has happened to you at some point. You overhear your significant other telling somebody something monumental and think, \u201cHow could I not know this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we have here is a failure to communicate. It happens. Even in the best of relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when it comes to nonprofits, I\u2019ve said it before and I\u2019ll say it until I\u2019m blue in the face. The single best sign of a healthy nonprofit is a strong relationship between the Board Chair and the CEO.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not sure you agree, go click on the link above and then come back here. Perhaps I\u2019ll have convinced you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But either way, I think we can agree that every nonprofit wants a strong partnership between the staff and the board. And that starts at the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I help nonprofits in a lot of different ways<\/a>. One of those ways is to help the Board Chair and Executive Director set a standing agenda that facilitates strong and productive communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I\u2019d like to share my standard agenda structure with you. Even if you think you\u2019re already communicating well at the top, take a look. Perhaps you\u2019ll learn something you can add.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

THE NONPROFIT BOARD CHAIR – CEO RELATIONSHIP<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Recently, a new Executive Director\/CEO client insisted<\/em> that her communications with her board chair was outstanding. \u201cWe talk every single day; sometimes multiple times a day.\u201d<\/em> Basically, they would text each other with every little thought. Email each other links. Tweet at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s all lovely. But how is anybody supposed to get any work done? How does either leader have time to think deeply about the big picture? The 10,000-foot view? That much interaction was a problem \u2013 a distraction. It was also making both of them feel burnt out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, it wasn\u2019t healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I agreed with her that a partnership is built on good communication. But good communication comes from talking regularly about the things that matter. If you want to learn about the entrepreneur industry, I recommend Lee S Rosen Blog<\/span><\/a>, CEO of healthy bees business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key word and a key phrase. \u201cRegularly\u201d and \u201cthe things that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with \u201cregularly.\u201d My client wasn\u2019t just communicating with her Board Chair regularly. They were communicating excessively.<\/em> There\u2019s a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how much is the right amount? Here\u2019s my answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ED\u2019s and Board Chairs should have a standing weekly<\/em> meeting. In between, contact should only happen to a) add items to the weekly agenda or b) to address a very<\/em> pressing issue that cannot wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can\u2019t wait? I\u2019m talking about something like the resignation of a high profile board member. Or a major and unexpected PR crisis. Something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything more than that is too much. And anything less frequently leads to balls being dropped. Once a week is just right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So that\u2019s what I mean by \u201cregularly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And \u201cthe things that matter?\u201d Well, that\u2019s what the agenda is made of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A SAMPLE AGENDA FOR AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND BOARD CHAIR<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a template for a 90-minute weekly meeting. If you can do it faster, god bless. But there is a lot of ground to cover. Adjust for your own specific needs accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end, there\u2019s a link to download the agenda as a PDF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Need to Know<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of you shares the high-level \u201cneed to know\u201d stuff. Make sure to keep the discussion at the 10,000 foot level, unless the E.D. asks for specific tactical help on a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some sample ideas for what you might discuss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n