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The Board as Boss
February 22, 2011
Eventually we realize that not knowing what to do is just as real and just as useful as knowing what to do... Not knowing what to do, we start to pay real attention.
-David Whyte, Poet
-David Whyte, Poet
"In the era of Enron, where boards of corporations have allowed executives to run amuck, pillaging corporations’ assets, one would hope that even directors of non profit corporations would recognize the seriousness of their responsibility. They are not advisors, they are not cheerleaders, they are the bosses. They have been charged by the government with seeing to it that the resources of the organization are wisely and legally utilized.
"This view is most important as it relates to the relationship between the board and the director. Most early childhood boards behave as if the director is their boss, when, in fact, the director is their employee. While it is important that the director and board maintain an effective working relationship, the board cannot abdicate its responsibilities to the director. Specifically:
- The director and other members of the corporation should be invited to submit items for the agenda, but the president of the board (or an executive committee) should establish the final agenda for meetings.
- Board meetings should be chaired by the president, not by the director. In fact, the director should not be a board member, but should at most be an ex-officio, non-voting, participant.
- Minutes of board meetings should be prepared by the board (possibly with secretarial support from the staff).
- New board members should be recruited and elected by the board itself — taking suggestions, of course, from the director and other members of the community.
- The board should retain the right to hold executive sessions without the presence of its employees.
Save 20% for 48 hours Only!Running a successful Board of Directors isn't easy. It takes time, effort and planning. Staying on Course: The Early Childhood Board's Guide for Success will help them stay on course and focus on the important work they do for young children and their families, and it will alert them to pitfalls and known dangers as they navigate the early childhood landscape. In addition, in buying Staying on Course you receive free access to a Word version of 35 handouts, tools and templates included in the book.
(Sale ends 09/15/2012)
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Comments (4)
Displaying All 4 CommentsNewton Child Care Commission and Fund, Inc.
Newton, MA, United States
A Board of Directors must also know its boundaries. This means that the Chairperson and/or members do not get involved in daily operations. This also means that they do not undermine their own Executive Director and violate the personnel policies leading staff to believe that they do not have to listen to the ED; they will just go to the Board. An example of this was when I was ED of a child care center. The President of the Board was constantly speaking to the staff about issues. When I mentioned that she was in violation of two areas of the 'personnel policies', she would always reply that she knew, but she wanted to hear what staff had to say. Staff, therefore, had no respect for me and always went to her. This situation did not last long as we parted ways soon after. A Board needs good training and needs to understand 'scope'.
United States
These are valuable comments and should be made available to as many directors and boards as possible. Some boards make all the decisions and expect the directors to follow their directions. Others are there to rubber stamp the directors' requests. Neither is a healthy relationship.
I can share these guidelines to the directors in my area. What about all the independent centers that do not seek out this information? Many small centers do not search for valuable sources of information such as this site provides. I can do my share to be sure my centers and boards have this information. I am concerned about other centers of 50 children or less.
Wheelock College
Lincoln, MA , United States
Thanks for posting this. I find that many directors want help with passive boards as much as with inappropriately active boards. They need access to better information.
Pennington Presbyterian Church
Pennington, NJ, United States
I am the director of a church-sponsored preschool. The board I work with is all of the things you mentioned and more. They provide a sounding board for me and a fresh perspective for the challenges of my position. Our president is an experienced educator and we follow a meeting rule: food, flowers and consensus.The food and flowers create an environment where all members of the board feel nurtured. By coming to consensus about decisions, each participant's views and opinions are heard and honored, and solutions to problems are acceptableto all involved. The board inspires me each time we meet and I come away from our sessions reinvigorated!
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