You Are Accountable for Your Board!

I have spent the better part of a week dealing with the mess created by the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Board of Directors.

I have spent the better part of my 20 year professional career serving volunteer leaders that serve on not-for-profit boards of directors.

My experience, and advice for our Mayor, has never mattered so much.

Especially as we serve as agents of accountability to demand restoration of public trust in a critical cultural institution. I dug deep this week. In digging, I rediscovered an article I wrote nearly 10 years for the Birmingham Business Journal.

Here is what I wrote ten years ago:

Many professionals smartly seek to take their careers to the next level by getting involved with their industry associations or favorite charities. Service in these organizations offer a level of professional connectivity, credibility and community prominence that even their best on the job performance cannot match.

The pinnacle of volunteer leadership is to be nominated to a seat on a board of directors.

However, many professionals find themselves disappointed with their own performance or the performance of the board as a whole. Here are three three things you can do to maximize volunteer leadership opportunities:

1. Make Time: Unless you are a seasoned volunteer leader, service on a board of directors will probably require more time than you think. Some professionals hurt their reputations by skimping on their volunteer leadership commitments, causing a quiet but noticeable deterioration of the confidence others have in them. Be a high performing leader by meeting with other board members one-on-one, building alliances and deepening relationships where you have none. Take 15 minutes to review minutes, financials and reports before your next board meeting. Top performers don’t just show up for meetings, they are clear about their roles and arrive prepared to contribute.

2. Start Planning Your Exit NOW: The day you join the board you should begin to envision what you want to accomplish, not just in your role, but on behalf of the organization as a whole. In my experience, high-performing boards have a cadre of volunteer leaders who have a multi-year view of their contributions. Many of these leaders started making these contributions of talent, time and treasure before they even join the board. So, when they join the board they already have some specific outcomes in mind for the organization during or even beyond their tenure. Even as a new board member you can identify new or young talent in and around the organization to serve on ad hoc projects. By doing this, you are building the organization’s leadership pipeline to augment your own efforts and, ultimately, to replace yourself.

3. Good board members are not born: Serving on a board is anything but intuitive. Too often we see subject matter experts get appointed to boards, only to act like subject matter experts and not board members.

Unfortunately, most boards do a poor job of orienting and training board members.

Therefore, you must do your own homework. Think about volunteer leadership like another career; you are responsible for your own career development. Have you read your organization’s bylaws? How about an article or book about how to be a good board member? Embrace the “second career” perspective on your volunteer leadership opportunities and then act accordingly.

Here are three things you can do today to be a better board member: 1) read your organization’s bylaws, 2) reach out to an expert or seasoned volunteer leader you respect for advice, 3) resist the temptation to join another board until you have a firm handle on your current responsibilities.

Unlike running your company or doing your day job, the quality of your volunteer service may very well impact an entire profession, industry and community.

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“Making appointments to boards and agencies is one of the most important and influential powers the Mayor and City Council possess. Ensuring we are appointing people to boards that understand their fiduciary role is absolutely vital. The Mayor’s Office places a clear expectation on understanding our mission of ‘Putting People First’ and our core values, which include customer service, efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, and transparency. We need to have the same expectations for our board members.” – Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin

Click here to learn more about Mayor Woodfin's effort to improve volunteer service on city boards and agencies.

Ed Fields is a marketer and strategist. He currently serves as Senior Advisor and Chief Strategist for the City of Birmingham Mayor’s Office. Follow him on LinkedIn, Medium, or Twitter.