Babs pokes at why anyone would join a board and the draw of cookies.
Hey Babs,
I chair two different boards, one governs a mid-size non-profit and the other governs a large urban public library. I have a long history of being on boards and am considered a skilled chair. I think a governance enthusiast such as yourself would appreciate the order, transparency, and duty of care with which the boards I chair operate.
Both of my boards have worked with an excellent board development consultant and have fulsome succession and recruitment plans. None the less, not only have we struggled with recruitment, even with the library board being by municipal appointment, we have also had an unprecedented number of board members in the past six months (three on the library board and four on the non-profit board) leave mid-term. They all cited unexpected changes at work or home as their reason for leaving.
We have excellent recruitment materials that outline our needs and expectations. There should be no surprises as to what is required as a board member and I believe that each of these individuals had the skills, knowledge, and experience that we needed. As well, both of my boards are making strides in being more inclusive and accessible. I believe that my boards represent their communities well and oversee their organizations effectively.
My boards are ticking all the recruitment boxes. Don’t they sound like boards that you would like to be part of?
What is our problem?
M.
Hey M.,
Thank you for recognizing me as a “governance enthusiast” – I appreciate that! I also appreciate that you take your governance role and responsibilities seriously and are looking at the situation with curiosity and with the support of others, such as the board development consultant you worked with.
You asked if your boards sound like something I would want to be part of? That all depends.
I have a couple of questions and a few observations that may help us poke at and shed some light on what is going on out there with this problem of board recruitment and retainment, not just for you M., but for all boards that are working on their succession, recruitment, and retainment plans – which is all boards right? (For those of you who missed it, this is bringing to mind last month’s “Hey Babs, Ready to Retire but Where Are the Next Leaders?”.)
Okay M., let’s roll up our sleeves and open our minds and hearts as we poke at this problem.
The Questions
- Do the board recruitment packages identify how candidates might benefit from joining these boards?
I ask this as there is much competition out there for the precious time that folks have to volunteer and it is perfectly reasonable for someone to ask what’s in it for them. While we do want board packages to be very clear on roles, responsibilities, and expectations there has to be something more – something that I or any other candidate would see as a personal benefit to being on a board. Depending on the purpose and culture of the board and organization that something more might be:
- Giving back to the community.
- I know this one sounds like a cliche, but the thing is that when we are somehow emotionally connected to the community that the organization benefits, we want to keep that emotional connection and volunteering on the board is one way to do that.
- Building a professional network.
- Maybe not as much of a Hallmark moment as the above, but a definite power move in getting the attention of busy professionals.
- Resume building.
- Adjacent to building a professional network, but specifically about being able to put skills and experience on job applications and resumes.
- Learning opportunities.
- Admittedly I’m big on boards having learning and development plans,* but beyond the benefits to the organization, people like to learn and providing learning opportunities is a cool way of appreciating volunteers. I have been on many boards and only one had a budget line for board learning and development (admittedly it was for a college, not a struggling non-profit) and I was over the moon with gratitude for the opportunities to attend governance workshops and conferences.
- Meeting others and socializing.
- While the the first two benefits were most influential in my early involvement with boards (I joined my first board as a youth rep many years ago), I now think more about hanging out with good people wanting to do good work. If tea and cookies are involved, I’m all in. While I haven’t polled the masses on this, I’m sure that I’m not alone.
- Belonging and being valued.
- Folks join boards that they can see themselves on, fully participating in, and being valued for the creative and diverse experiences, skills, and thinking that they bring to the table. Many boards recognize this, too many boards struggle to make it real.
- When you worked with the board development consultant, did they and the governance team do any work on board culture (critical component to the broader organizational culture), particularly through a lens of team building and psychological safety?**
If board culture wasn’t part of the work, then I recommend that the governance team (that is the board and the CEO / executive director) work with someone to identify and strengthen the why and how of governing the organization. As Peter Drucker may have never said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. If we don’t understand why and how we do things (culture) we too often find that our attitudes and behaviours undermine our plans and goals. This may or may not be the situation with your board recruitment plans, but there is nothing to lose and much to gain by paying attention to culture.
The Observations
- I invite all of us to carefully consider the use of “my” as in “my boards”. While it can be an affectionate way of thinking about something that we care deeply about and are proud of, it also signals possession and excludes others.
- Often times when we leave a situation we cite family or work needs. It can be true, it can be a kindness, and it can be an easy way out. In my experience the most useful exit interviews are done by an outsider. I’m not saying this just because it is one of the things I do at the Courageous Leaders Project. I’m saying this because I am one of those people who has taken the easy way out of a situation to avoid what might have been a difficult conversation.
- It may be time for a review and update of the annual board and chair assessment. From what I understand in the letter you are confident that the board is effective, transparent, and meeting its duty of care. These are fabulous strengths to build on (not all boards have them) and a good foundation for taking a fresh approach to assessing and planning how the board might grow its work and demonstrate its values, goals, and aspirations as it recruits for the present oversight and future development of the organization.
M., you are wonderfully committed to these boards and I’m delighted that you reached out with your curiosity and openness.
Thank you for giving us all the opportunity to poke at this situation that I know many others are grappling with.
You are not alone,
Babs
p.s. You can find out more about the Courageous Leaders Project and my work as a facilitator and coach at courageousleaders.ca.
* Board development and learning is more than a nice to have. There is a lot to learn to have effective and enjoyable governance and the upfront investment in learning opportunities will save the future resources and the inevitable heartache that goes with those governance oh-oh moments.
**I am very much into psychological safety and was thrilled this year to earn a Master Certificate in Mental Health and Psychological Safety at Work and so yes, it is does pop up a fair amount in my coaching and writing.
I am grateful for your letters and that so many honest and courageous people share their leadership stories with me to share with others. Unfortunately, it is not possible to share all of your letters and stories in this newsletter.
Please note that if you are experiencing a situation that is unsafe, if you are in crisis, or if you are struggling with trauma, that you deserve and need more than I am qualified to give. When it is right for you, please reach out to whoever you trust to get help, to your workplace employee assistance program, or to a medical or counselling professional.
Photo by Maryam Sicard in collaboration with Unsplash