Audio download: 11 critical mistakes first-time Executive Directors make when working with their boards (and how to avoid them).
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Are you like many Executive Directors who feels like developing a strong partnership with your board is one of your biggest challenges? Look no further – we’ve got your answers right here.
MP3 #1: EDs underestimate how difficult it will be to initiate and sustain change
Interview with Clay Myers-Bowman
Questions he answers:
1. If a board isn’t ready to accept change, why would they hire an ED to lead change?
2. How does a first-time ED lead change when the board isn’t on board?
3. How can an ED introduce a new idea without overwhelming their board members?
4. How do you deal with board members who just won’t support the changes, especially the part about giving money?
5. What resources are out there for new ED’s to help them create effective change?
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Interview with Stephen Lemire:
Questions he answers:
1) How should the newly hired executive director go about the process to establish clear expectations and boundaries regarding their role and that of the board and its members?
2) How can the executive director monitor and adjust their relationships with the board if the roles get muddied or maintain them if they are going smoothly?
3) What are some signs and symptoms that there are relational problems between the new ED and the board? What are some examples?
4) How can the ED be sure that any “rough patches” are behind them and their relationships are evolving? What are some signs? What are some examples?
5) What organizational mechanisms need to be in place to help the ED and board understand their respective roles so that the organization may develop and thrive?
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Questions she answers:
1. How is this mistake manifested by the EDs?
2. How much do our expectations effect the outcomes?
3. But isn’t this real? Aren’t board members too busy, too uninformed?
4. What can EDs do to break the cycle if they really do want more from their boards?
Interview with Deirdre Maloney.
Questions she answers:
1) What is the reality about the board/ED relationship and why does it exist?
2) Why do EDs tend to think that their situation will be different in the beginning?
3) What role should board management play in the ED’s job?
4) What is the best way to help a board assess and develop itself?
5) What is the most important factor in building a strong relationship with the board?
MP3 #5: EDs not sure how to help their board members become more comfortable with fundraising.
Interview with Claire Axelrad...2) What do board members need to understand to embrace fundraising?
4) How could we do a better job making them assignments?
5) Should the board members be expected to go out on their own to free up the staff from doing all the solicitations?
MP3 #6: ED doesn’t recognize when the board isn’t transitioning well from a working board to a governing board nor knows how to help them
Interview with Elizabeth Woolfe.3. How can the first-time ED build their confidence in the role?
MP3 #7: Executive Directors don’t get training for themselves or their board nor make the training a requirement for board membership. .
Interview with Marilyn Donnellan.4. Who should do the training?
5. What do I do if the board doesn’t want, or thinks they don’t need, training?
MP3 #8: Executive Directors inadvertently leave the board feeling left in the dark because of poor communication skills.
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Interview with Gianfranco Farruggia
Questions he answers:.
1. What does “poor communication skills” look like “in the trenches” of nonprofit organizations?
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2. What role does “telling stories” have in the context of the board room?
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3. How do you balance emotionally engaging your board with administrative reporting?
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4. What is the best way to break “negative” news to the board?
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5. What resources are available to an ED who wants to improve his/her communication skills?
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Interview with Chip Madsen.
1. What is the “nonprofit secret” that you expose in your book?
2. What is the difference between your system and other governance systems out there?
3. What benefits can nonprofits expect when implementing the system?
4. What is the biggest mistake first-time ED’s make? What solution do you recommend?
5. What are the 6 principles of the successful Board/CEO partnerships?
Eleven Experts…One price.
