Essential Leader

What are the responsibilities of a Board of Directors?

 Recently elected to the Board of Directors for a national organization, I went into my first board meeting eagerly anticipating the chance to learn more from the veteran board members. Imagine my surprise when the first comments I heard suggested, no…clearly stated, that few members really knew what they were supposed to do, that no board trainings had ever been conducted, and that the next planned meeting of the board was more than eight months away! What, I wondered, had I just stepped into?

After doing a little research, here are some suggestions for others who may find themselves on a Board of Directors:

Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards

1. Determine the organization's mission and purpose. It is the board's responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization's goals, means, and primary constituents served.

2. Select the chief executive. Boards must reach consensus on the chief executive's responsibilities and undertake a careful search to find the most qualified individual for the position.

3. Provide proper financial oversight. The board must approve the annual budget and ensure that proper financial controls are in place.

4. Ensure adequate resources. One of the board's foremost responsibilities is to secure adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission.

5. Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability. The board is ultimately responsible for ensuring adherence to legal standards and ethical norms.

6. Ensure effective organizational planning. Boards must actively participate in an overall planning process and assist in implementing and monitoring the plan's goals.

7. Recruit and orient new board members and assess board performance. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own performance.

8. Enhance the organization's public standing. The board should clearly articulate the organization's mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and garner support from the community.

9. Determine, monitor, and strengthen the organization's programs and services. The board's responsibility is to determine which programs are consistent with the organization's mission and to monitor their effectiveness.

10.  Support the chief executive and assess his or her performance. The board should ensure that the chief executive has the moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the organization.

Reference

Richard T. Ingram, The Ten Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards (BoardSource 2003).

Leadership Traits include Persistence

 

"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room."

Dr. Melanie Booth posted a similar picture to her blog, PrattleNog. After I was done chuckling at the thought of trying to sleep with a mosquito in the room, it dawned on me that this picture embodied a thought that I often share with people who feel like they can’t make a real difference in their place of work. The thought is this, sure, you may not have the power to force changes throughout your entire organization. But you can always have influence in your own small circle of friends and colleagues. And over time, who knows? You might find that you have much more influence than you imagined.

There are many examples of people who persisted in the face of impossible odds to make a difference. Mother Teresa was one. Nelson Mandela was such a person. The key to their success was simply endurance–being a non-quitter. They were persistent.

One journalist wrote of Mother Teresa: "When I met Mother Teresa, I discovered she was very tiny–less than five feet tall–and kept her head cocked to one side. She had gnarled hands and thick peasant feet that protruded from under her coarse white sari. Although there was no mistaking the aura of warmth and kindness that surrounded her, I felt I was in the presence of the most powerful, focused and determined person I had ever met."

Nelson Mandela is another famous example of determined leadership. Mandela’s single goal was to end apartheid in South Africa. Though he was imprisoned for many years, he steadfastly held to his principles. He was committed to reaching his goal and he never wavered from his vision. Mandela was focused and disciplined—a persistent leader.

Those famous examples hold lessons even for those of us who hold less exalted positions in our communities and organizations. We have all heard of persistent people who have accomplished spectacular things—the person with cancer who runs a standard 26.2 mile marathon, the blind person who climbs Mr. Everest, or the single mom with four kids who graduates from college (that was my Mom, by the way). In order to leave this world a different place, be persistent. Leaders don't grow in a comfort zone. Leaders are not people with exceptional talent; they are people who have learned from their mistakes and get up and try again.

Are you persistent in the pursuit of your goals?

Seth Godin at TED