You said “Yes” and have accepted the offer to join your local nonprofit agency. Congratulations on a decision that should impact your life in many positive ways. You’ve done your due diligence, you fully support the mission, and you are ready to dedicate time, wisdom, and fundraising to the agency. Everything feels right. And you ask yourself- “so what happens next?”
Energize Your Board Meetings
Too many times one hears about dissatisfaction with board meetings. “Oh no, not again? So soon?” is the refrain when the next meeting is announced.
And yet it is the board meeting where the most meaningful work of the board is done. It is the time for status updates as well as the exchange of viewpoints, collaboration, networking, and visualizing the mission of the agency. This is the board chair’s opportunity to build upon the commitment of current members to accomplish the work of the board and to build a culture of trust within the boardroom.
Retaining Your Board of Directors
The Importance of Board Orientation
The process of building the board at your agency has begun now that your recruitment efforts have been fulfilled. You have the bodies in the chairs around the table, and now the need is to start building that sense of togetherness, the sense of a team working together toward one goal, the goal of meeting your agency’s mission. You are building your TEAM.
Building Your Team
Your Nonprofit is Accountable to Who?
Is Nonprofit Board Leadership For You?
The Dynamics of a Toxic Board Chair
Have you seen this in your career path: a Board chair that is overwhelmingly difficult. Not just personality difficulties; but instances of excessive micromanaging, changing details of assignments in mid-stream without notifying you, and/or speaking critically of your performance in front of the board or staff, frequently without you present.
I label this type of behavior by the Board Chair as Toxic Board Chair Syndrome. It can cause ongoing difficulties and in many cases severely impact the effectiveness of the organization.
A Coach or Consultant, Part II. The Process to make It Work
Your agency is in a kerfuffle over internal issues and you, as Executive Director, have considered bringing in outside support to work with you to resolve the issues. You’ve read Part I on this subject, “A Consultant or a Coach? Which do you need? And have decided to move forward with the hire. In either case, consultant or coach, the next steps in the process are the very similar.
A Consultant or Coach? Which is best for you? - Part One
A Consultant or Coach? Which is best for you? - Part One
To borrow from William Shakespeare and King Henry IV, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” The line signifies the difficulties of being the leader, the person that carries the burdens of responsibility of running their organization, be it a Kingdom, a corporation, or a nonprofit organization.
So, where do you look for support?
Coming soon . . .
This is the beginning of a blog that I will be implementing and announcing soon - stay tuned.