What do you do if board dynamics are hindering your effectiveness as a non-profit executive?

It’s important to start with an outline of the issues in hand to develop a plan from there. If it’s an issue between people I like to first speak to each of them individually, listen to their concerns, and see if they feel a resolution is obtainable. After that I’ll have both parties sit in a room with me so I can act as a mediator and allow for an honest dialogue and seek a peaceful resolution

You might try a board planning retreat in a location different from regular meetings. Incorporate some ice-breaker games and proceed with the main topic, “What is hindering our effectiveness and what can we be doing better?” Try to get and record (flip chart, post-it notes, computer etc) each member’s response. Hopefully this will lead to discussion that gets at the bottom of the issue(s).

When board dynamics are hindering your effectiveness as a nonprofit executive, it's important to address the issue in a proactive and constructive manner. Address board dynamics by initiating open communication, facilitating discussions, and conducting a board assessment. Provide training for board members in communication and governance. Establish clear expectations and consider recruiting new members. Seek external guidance and self-evaluate to ensure effective leadership. And always, seek to understand the other people rather to be understood.

The issue must be openly addressed. The best way would be to create an opportunity for an open discussion. Before you attempt to do so, you must be sure that at least, some members would be open to hearing you out. More importantly you must have the conviction that your stance is the correct one and that you can make a convincing case. Also, that you are honestly attempting to find a solution. Highlight an issue that has due to the Board stance, impacted the organization more than it has impacted you. Could be employees, customers, image etc. Prepare your case. Use data, extracts from minutes, correspondence, media reports, etc. Present your case. Indicate clearly that you are open to correction snd suggestions.

Address Conflict: If there are conflicts among board members, facilitate conflict resolution. Encourage respectful discussions and find common ground. Review Board Composition: Evaluate whether the current board makeup is conducive to effective decision-making. Consider diversity, skills, and expertise.

To ask for attention and advice on challenges the non profit experiences is key. It is not about you as an executive, the board has focus on the solutions/evalutions. Despite differences in the board they can still have valuable perspectives that help you, if you know how to listen.. If you are the founder and the board presses on a certain way of execution; you must know your talents and why you have a certain path for the future of the nonprofit in mind and b) your strategy to get there. You now get feedback or advice on strategy instead of execution. Hitting a brick wall? Ask them to re-assess if they still feel at home in the board? Or even feel like a fit with the ambitions your nonprofit has? Find your family, happy scouting

I would not want external mediation. If I cannot convince my Board and if the differences show repeatedly and, solutions cannot be found through discussion, I would look for another job.

It provides a good opportunity for an external person to support the discussions to identify the underlying issues. Other things to consider is to explore composition of the board,the nature of the organisation,whether there are clear roles board and management, the terms of CEO engagement vis a vi's what the board envisioned.These would assist to get a clear and indepth perspective on the situation.

On-boarding new board members is key to fostering a cooperative relationship. Make it fun as well as informative so that new board members can get to know each other and move toward a common goal. A few tips to help make this happen: Pre-Onboarding Preparation, Icebreaker Activities, Interactive Presentations, Networking Opportunities and a Feedback Mechanism. By making the on-boarding process both fun and informative, new board members can quickly integrate into the team, understand their roles and responsibilities, and work collaboratively towards advancing the organization's mission.

Team work within Boards is an excellent way of understanding each other and ironing out differences in thinking. Such interaction can be formal (through Working Groups for example) or informal-simply seeking interaction.

Let’s not confuse passion with stubbornness. At the end of the day emotions and egos can limit the impact we have on our target audience. Making the “who” that you do this for the center of your focus and the focus of the board can increase work productivity and cultural alignment. Remembering who the work is for allows leaders to decrease being right in place of increasing cultural consistency and enjoyment!

The goal of nonprofit governance is to enable the organization to advance its core purpose. But sometimes boards do the opposite - their actions or inactions become a constraint on the organization. In most cases, this is the unfortunate and unintentional outcome of a lack of governance literacy and structures. Boards often don't know what they're supposed to do, or how to do it effectively! A governance assessment can highlight the areas where the board is enabling, and where it is constraining. A few action areas will emerge that the board can focus on implementing. BUT - it's important to tackle 'literacy' and 'structures' at the same time. Board training, or a new policy will not be effective alone, they must go hand in hand.

Far too often, volunteer board members don’t understand the limits of their role. They tend to get much too deep in the weeds. Instead of providing guidance and oversight, they try to tell the professionals running the charity what to do and how to do it. This is a difficult situation when anyone on the board behaves this way. But when it’s the board chair who doesn’t understand the role of the board and is unable to provide effective board leadership it’s a recipe for disaster, as any competent and self respecting not for profit leader is unlikely to put up with that for long. All board members should receive training on where their lane begins and ends and how to stay in it at the time they are on-boarded, and regularly thereafter.

In my experience, A board dynamics can make or break you as an executive. Some additional problems are: ? Dominance by a few individuals, silencing diverse perspectives ? Favoring the voices of a few ? Competing priorities and expectations ? Lack of accountability and follow-through on commitments. I believe recognizing and addressing these dynamics mentioned can help improve board functioning and support the executive's effectiveness.

In situations like this it is important to remember what the roles are and why are they there. I will assume each board member was selected for a certain skill set. I would meet with each one individually review why they were nominated as a board member and how that aligns with the organizational strategic plan. If they are not willing to support the plan it is time to ask them to step down from the board.