10 signs of bad Board culture ??♂?

The last one of my mini-series of articles celebrating (ranting about?!) #TrusteesWeek! This one probably should come with a *trigger warning* - because unfortunately, I'm sure too many charity-folk will have experienced these...

These are just my musings from 10+ years in the sector, as a Founder on the Board, to CEO working closely alongside many versions of my Board of Trustees ?? I'm sure there's loads I've missed, so please let me know what other red-flags you've experienced when on / working with a Board ??????

1?? Constant friction - The dreaded Board meeting. Everything is an argument, every communication is heated, and it feels like several individuals shouting over each other, rather than a collective working towards common goals. If your Board is constantly split on voting (especially if certain members always vote against everyone else) - then something is fundamentally off. Look into delegated authority, communication styles, expectation management, and collective buy-in of the vision, mission, and values.

2?? No friction - This one's a sleeper, because it lulls you into a false sense of security - no friction means no problems right? Seems great, but if you get through a Trustee meeting without so much as a question - you might just have a disengaged Board. You brought these individuals together to share their knowledge, skills and experience to deliver the vision of the organisation, not just nod and agree. Look deeper into why Trustees don't feel empowered to speak up (or if they don't know what questions to ask).

3?? No communication between meetings - Whether this is between individual Trustees, or the Board as a whole - even with monthly meetings, it's hard to stay engaged with the organisation. Lack of communication between meetings can be symptomatic of wider issues that can affect the organisation (e.g. not engaging in policies and procedures, risk registers, overseeing budgets etc). If your Board feels disengaged, why start a group-chat where you can share quick wins, good news etc - it's great for morale!

4?? Focusing on the operational - Yes, we all care about the colour of the napkins for the charity gala - but the annual report is 57 days overdue... You pay staff (or recruit volunteers) to oversee the operational delivery - trust them and focus on the strategic sustainability of your organisation. This often comes from Trustees not understanding the role and responsibility of a Board. Make sure your recruitment process outlines what is expected from a Trustee, offer constant training opportunities for the Board to expand its knowledge, and clearly define your delegated authority within your organisation.

5?? Micromanaging - As above...GOOD LORD LET PEOPLE DO THEIR JOBS. If you hire staff, trust them to deliver the operational goals. Your 'well-meaning' oversight does nothing but add pressure, stress, and anxiety to the staff team. Often micromanaging comes from Trustees not knowing where or how to focus their knowledge and skills. It might be helpful to undertake a skills-gap analysis and to define specific roles or projects for Trustees to oversee.

6?? Lack of recruitment process - You should never recruit a Trustee solely based on their net worth, network, job title, social media followers, or because you simply need 'one more name' for legal reasons... Your recruitment policy should be a process of elimination after carefully identifying your needs. Give as much information about the role and expectations as possible (it'll put most applicants off!), and put your organisational vision, mission, and values at the forefront of your recruitment - nothing is more important than your culture.

7?? Not involving SLT / Staff / Lived-Experience in setting strategy - The role of the organisation is to serve a need within society. Your role as a Board of Trustees is to empower the community you serve to inform you how to help, not to inform them of how they need help. Your Senior Leadership Team, the Staff, and individuals with lived-experience of the need you are serving, should all help mould your service delivery and ultimate strategy. Trust your staff, and trust the community you serve - they certainly know best.

8?? Anytime, anyone says 'That's the way it's always been done' - Leading on from the above point, services change, communities change, society changes - our role as organisations is to adapt our help to the requirements of our communities. Boards should have a healthy amount of turnover and recruitment to keep a stream of ideas, innovation, and interest from Trustees. Make sure you hold each other accountable to being open-minded to new ideas, new processes, and if you can - budget for innovation and experimentation.

9?? EGO'S - The Boardroom is no place for egos. Job titles, net worth and network mean nothing, and all have an equal voice. This is all about culture - make sure Trustees know from recruitment, through to induction, and ongoing in meetings that your values will be upheld - and that only open, honest, and respectful communication will be tolerated. The Chair is pivotal in upholding this standard, but it takes collective buy-in from all Trustees to build a positive and successful culture at Board level. If you get it right, the whole organisation will flourish.

?? Founder-syndrome - OK this one might be just for me, as I am terrified of being 'that guy' (thankfully I'm a lowly CEO, so can be kept in check by my Trustees!). However, Founders can often be blinded by their passion - unchecked and unrivalled in the Boardroom - which can have a deeply detrimental effect on other Trustees and the Staff team. (see all the reasons above). Remember, the role of the Trustees is to put the organisation above all else - Founders included. You owe it to the communities you serve to reflect often, question respectfully, and put long-term gains over short-term pains.

Let me know if any of these resonate with you - or (hopefully) if none of these do, and shout-out your amazing trustees and organisations! It's not all doom and gloom out there, and the sector is full of amazing and inspirational people who want to change the world - let's celebrate them! ??

PS: One final disclaimer for my amazing Board at The Robin Cancer Trust who I'm very happy to say do NONE of the above! You're all amazing individuals, and I'm very grateful and proud to work alongside you! ??

#TrusteesWeek #Charity #Trustees