The Committee on Trustees

Another question from the Nonprofit Roundtable was: “What can you do if you have a difficult/disruptive board member?” The answer is not simple but a Committee on Trustees can do much to strengthen your board overall.

Boards often have a Nominating Committee responsible for identifying prospective board members. In recent years, that Committee has evolved to a Committee on Trustees with broader responsibilities for trustee well-being in addition to continuing to identify prospective trustees.

One of the responsibilities of this Committee is orientation of new board members. often an overlooked area. If the new trustee has no prior history with the organization, it will be obvious that he or she needs information about the programs, the finances the goals and the challenges. If a new trustee has been connected with the organization as a staff member, a client, as an advisory committee member or other role, the orientation is slightly different. In this case the new trustee will be learning about the specific responsibilities and authority of the board, a new perspective for someone who has known the nonprofit from another angle.

Another area that the Committee on Trustees oversees is learning about a new trustee’s interests and skills so that committee assignments are appropriate. An annual conversation with each trustee explores how well the organization is using his or her skills, how satisfied the trustee is with the committee assignments and the board overall. This is the time to learn if the trustee believes his or her skills would be better utilized on another committee. Board members are volunteers and a nonprofit shows respect for the time and energy trustees invest with this annual dialogue about the work of the board and the trustee’s role.

Now for the difficult board member. This annual conversation would cover the same ground: how well is the organization using his or her skills, how satisfied is the trustee with committee assignments and the board overall. It may be that the trustee believes his or her skills would be better utilized on a different committee. Within this conversation is the opportunity to raise issues of the trustee’s satisfaction with being a member of the board.
If the trustee’s discontentment with the board is beyond fixing, the answer may be to note that discontentment, thank the trustee for his or her service and suggest that this board is not the best outlet for the trustee’s skills.

Of course, that answer may be complicated by the trustee’s other relationships with the organization that might include family history with the nonprofit, significant donations over the years or other unique situations. That may require a different handling of the problem but a frank conversation may point to a solution.

What started out as a question about a difficult board member has wider implications for the satisfaction and effectiveness of individual trustees and the board as a whole. An internet search will yield many articles about Committees on Trustees that will help a board develop the Nominating Committee to the next stage.

Recruiting Board members

I did a session on leadership for the Nonprofit Roundtable of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce this week and had some thoughtful questions from the audience. Several of the questions concerned the Board.

“What do you do if the Board is not very good and you want to recruit new members?”

My response was: “Start working on making your Board better.” Prospective Board members who would be an asset to your organization are busy people with other options for community service. If your Board is not very good, most prospective members will look elsewhere. Most know how difficult it would be to be a new Trustee and to affect change.

Most Boards have thought about what the next steps could be. This is exactly the right time to begin acting on those ideas. If a Board is at a loss for ideas or not certain how to begin, seek help. Associations often offer workshops. A Board member from another Board might share his or her experiences. And, many consultants work with boards on their professional development.

Think how much more appealing your Board will be with some simple improvements. It could revitalize the Board you have. And, you can be much more enthusiastic when talking with prospective Trustees.

Marketing your organization

When a nonprofit is engaged in an executive transition, it wants to be as attractive to candidates as possible. The announcement of the position of executive director can include highlights of the organization, its achievements, successes and goals. A dull announcement is not going to catch the attention of those whose attention you are trying to catch.

Talented leaders want to join an exciting organization with a strong sense of mission and a vision of what it could be with the right leadership. Never assume that prospective candidates will find good information in separate pieces on your website. Make the announcement the place with all the relevant and exciting information.

When a nonprofit is looking for a new executive director, it needs to think about how it can be more attractive to candidates. What are the next steps the board has been meaning to take? Isn’t this a good time to begin? And then talk about it in the announcement.

Are there other ways the nonprofit can polish its image? Is the physical office space as attractive as it could be? Are there eye-catching photographs that could adorn the reception area? Not hard to do. Does the space need a little housekeeping so that it is inviting to visitors? Most of the sprucing-up items are low-cost or no-cost and something it was time to do anyway.

One nonprofit I was working with, was showing a candidate around before his interview with the board. The candidate picked up papers that had been dropped on the main stairway and said “This does not give a good impression”. After the interview, based on that comment, one board member wanted to dismiss him immediately. Another board member said “Let’s hire him. He obviously cares about what we look like to the outside world and he’ll be sure we look good”. The board agreed and hired him.

Your choice. I have known organizations that waited for a new executive director to address issues of appearance but it is so easy to use the transition as a way to inspire everyone to help do a little sprucing up. And, it makes a much better first impression.

Evaluating candidates/attracting candidates

Too often search committees are intent on getting to the evaluation stages – first applications, then interviews. What often gets lost in the heat of evaluation fervor is the fact that the candidates are also evaluating the organization.

From the first announcement of the opening to the final offer, candidates are forming opinions about the organization. Insensitivity to the needs and feelings of candidates can have several negative results. First, candidates may withdraw if they feel they are not treated with respect. Always remember talented people have many options – not just yours.

At the conference in Erie, one woman told me that she had sent eight resumes and letters of application via email in response to advertisements. She did not receive an acknowledgment from any one of them. That is the first error a nonprofit can make. Even candidates whom you may never interview are forming opinions about your organization. Doesn’t it make sense to have them forming good opinions?

Interviews should be respectful of the confidentiality needs of candidates. It makes sense for a candidate to know, after meeting the search committee, whether this has the potential to be a good fit. Then, he or she might share the search with the board or board chair. But, before knowing if there is mutual interest, it is premature to announce the search to his or her own organization. Many candidates have withdrawn from searches if they realize their need for initial confidentiality is not respected.

Although the search committee is ready to evaluate candidates in the interview setting, it must also remember that their job is to help people leave with a positive impression of the organization and hopefully greater interest in joining it. The committee needs to be respectful of the people it is interviewing – making them comfortable, providing them with pertinent information before the interview and a timeframe for the next step in the process.

Leadership is listening and communicating

Two important points, for me, emerge from Adam Bryant’s article in the Sunday, New York Times. He interviewed Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard’s president.

First, President Faust explained how she connects to people, mainly through email, to understand who they are and what their interests are. This emphasizes the importance of knowing people and what they want and need. Only then can she help them make the connection to Harvard’s wants and needs. A leader who makes assumptions about what people want and need may get it wrong and skipping the dialogue is a missed opportunity to connect with constituents. Leadership is part listening and part communication. The communication piece is likely to be pretty empty, and miss the mark, if there has not been adequate listening.

On the topic of communication, President Faust has realized that it is necessary to talk again and again about important topics. This means talking to different audiences to assure that everyone is included. It also means not being afraid to bring the topics up again and again to re-inforce their importance. Providing up-dates on progress can keep the topics lively.

Attracting great leaders

The best way to attract great candidates is to have a great organization. A nonprofit with an important mission will attract potential leaders who also believe in that mission. If you have challenges, and who does not, state them. Good candidates want to help an organization achieve success. You do not want candidates who are simply interested in maintaining the status quo if you have bigger dreams. So, list your challenges and your aspirations and the resources you already have.

How many references?

This was a question I was asked at the Nonprofit Day in PA. In terms of sheer numbers I would say no less than 12 or 14 if you hear consistent stories. If what you hear is inconsistent I would keep on doing references to see if you can sort it out. If you cannot sort it out, that has to factor into your decision about the best candidate.

Nonprofit Partners

I just returned from Erie, PA where I gave two workshops: Identifying and evaluating leadership and Succession planning and executive transitions. The Erie Community Foundation created The Nonprofit Partnership that sponsored the conference. While they are separate entities, they work together and are incredibly effective at supporting nonprofits in northwest Pennsylvania. It is a great model – nonprofits that receive funding from the Foundation may also receive technical assistance from the Partnership.

The Nonprofit Partnership is very foresighted in the use of technology to advance the work of nonprofits. There are several, very useful tools to maximize the effectiveness of email newsletters or blogs on their website:www.thenonprofitpartnership.org.

Between preparing the two presentations and responding to questions, I have thoughts for many future blogs. Stay tuned! As, always if you have questions or comments please add them.

Interviewing is a performing art

If you have interviewed a number of people you know that the person before you is doing his or her best to impress you. When the performance is good you feel re-assured that this person may be just the answer to your quest. So, you may be feeling comfortable about making a hiring decision.

The performance/interview is, however, not a good predictor of future success on the job. Good interviewers/performers are personable and aware of what you are looking for. He or she will try to give you what you want.

You may have a list of traits you are looking for: intelligence, creativity, integrity for beginners. There are not obvious questions to arrive at conclusions. Here are some silly questions: Are you smart? Are you creative? Are you honest? Are you hard-working? Do you work well with others? Will you fit here?

If, in the course of the interview/performance you hear a story you like or an anecdote that you believe reveals this person’s core, you may hang your beliefs on something as ephemeral as a story or anecdote. Is that enough? Is it safe to base a hiring decision on such a flimsy basis?

If you ask a question and the reply strikes a responsive chord, you may be tempted to give the reply too much weight. Is it an indicator of a life’s work or a single bright moment? How can you be sure? How can you go beyond a one-shot performance and put that performance in perspective as one facet of the individual?

Transformational leadership

What are some of the characteristics of leaders who transform non-profit organizations?

First, they promote the vision clearly and often, emphasizing the important work this organization can do. They set a tone so people feel connected to a larger cause, one they want to contribute to.

Transformational leaders encourage leadership throughout the organization. They let staff know taking initiative is a plus. They make it known they want to hear ideas that may seem “outside the box”. They encourage questions about the status quo that include better ideas for accomplishing goals or tasks.

This leadership style allows the executive director to delegate as much as possible. Delegating continues to build leadership capacity in the organization and frees the leader for
other work.

Transformational leaders are approachable. So, if a staff member is “stuck” it is natural to seek help. Teamwork happens.

For search committees and boards, the task is to develop questions that enable candidates to talk about their leadership style. The question is not: Are you a transformational leader? Something like this is useful: Describe a difficult situation and explain the steps you took to work it out. This will illustrate some pieces of leadership style and additional questions can build on what has been learned.