My favorite horror movie when I was a kid was The Day of the Triffids. If you haven’t seen it, the basic premise is that the world is overcome by flesh eating plants. As if this weren’t bad enough, nearly everyone on Earth has been blinded by a spectacular meteor shower (the same one that brought the fearsome plants, by the way).
People consumed by weeds? Blind to the very things that are threatening them? If this sounds like a recent board meeting, it might be time to get things under control.
You know your board is caught in the weeds when its attention dips into management issues instead of its governance responsibilities. Governance includes things like determining mission and purpose, hiring and evaluating the CEO, setting policies that ensure legal and ethical integrity, providing financial oversight, ensuring adequate financial resources, and enhancing the organization’s public standing.
Governance does not include evaluating specific programs, managing staff other than the CEO, dealing directly with systems and technology issues, etc. If your board spends half a meeting debating the merits of one fundraising software over another, they are officially in the weeds.
In the movie, salt water is the trick for killing the triffids. A mere sprinkle and the world is saved. For your board, however, the solution is a little more complex. But, just as effective.
First, identify the weeds.
You’ll probably find disagreement on where exactly the line between governance and management falls. Jean Block calls this the “invisible yellow line” in reference to the moving line that indicates the first down on televised football. The exact role of the board fluctuates according to the lifecycle of your organization and your staff resources. The best thing to do is talk about it.
Board members should ask question like: what is the most critical thing we, as a board, can do for the organization right now? What is our “value add” for the organization? What are the most important decisions and actions we have to take in the year ahead? What does our CEO need most from us?
The answers to these questions define the board’s role and should provide a framework for board agendas. If topics arise at board meetings that don’t support the board’s role, move on.
Establish a border to keep out the weeds.
We recommend that boards establish a set of criteria for discussion topics in order to help keep conversations firmly in governance. We’ve adapted these six criteria from an article by Barry S. Bader. Create your own and post them at every board meeting:
Is it big? For example, does it affect more than 10-15% of our revenue? Is a policy decision needed to resolve a situation?
Is it about the future? The Board should create a strategic plan for the organization. The staff creates the operating plan.
Is it core to the mission? The Board is responsible for ensuring adherence to the mission. If programs or activities are off mission, it’s the board’s responsibility to rein them in.
Is a red flag flying?Is there a statistically significant trend of over- or under-performance in a strategic, quality or financial indicator over at least three reporting periods? In other words, the board shouldn’t get involved in random incidents, but should focus on real problems or issues that are emerging.
Is a watchdog watching? If Congress, the IRS, or the media cares, the Board should, too!
Has the CEO asked for help? The Board must be responsive to the CEO’s needs.
Be sure to water the good stuff.
You can nurture healthy discussion and avoid weeds altogether by implementing best practices in board management. Have a strong recruitment and orientation process. Make sure the board has created and is following a strategic plan. Conduct an annual board self-assessment. And spend time on the care and feeding of the board as a team.
Few things are more frustrating for staff and board than failing to get through meeting agendas or make important decisions because the board is in the weeds. Nip those weeds in the bud before they have a chance to grow!
For suggestions on how to use board meetings to support fundraising, check out this Front Range Source blog, Small Fixes in the Board Agenda, Big Improvements in Fundraising.
