Have you ever had a board, or sat on a board, where you looked around the room and thought to yourself, "We really need to improve our professionalism?".
Let’s not dwell on how you got there. There’s never a bad time to make changes to increase board professionalism.
But if you’re worried you'll be met with resistance or about taking on too much at one time, start with these five suggestions to have a big impact.
Create a robust orientation program for new board members, including an overview of roles, responsibilities, mission, key programs and impact. A knowledgeable board member is key to a professional board.
This sounds obvious, but it’s not. Set clear expectations for attendance, culture, participation and accountability. Encourage healthy, democratic conversations that get the board collaborating to help the organization. When you set expectations and model those behaviors, most board members will quickly step up their own professionalism.
Create a focused agenda that moves the meeting along and focuses on strategic, board-level topics. Distribute the agenda in advance so that your board can prepare. Implement Robert’s Rules of Order to facilitate efficient and productive meetings. A well-run board meeting shows you value and respect board members' time.
Implement ongoing training for board members to enhance their skills and knowledge, and to address any gaps. Educate the board on the organization, its services, business model and goals. This is critical if you want board members to be able to contribute at a high level, participate in strategic conversations and provide guidance.
Design board committees that align with the organization’s needs and strategy. Make sure each committee has a clear purpose, goals and decision-making process. Structure promotes effective governance, strategic decision-making and improved accountability.
Enhancing the professionalism of your board makes it easier to recruit top-notch board members, strengthens board governance and improves the overall performance of your organization. After all, if you think your board lacks professionalism, I promise you, others do too.
