Joan Garry, an internationally recognized champion for the nonprofit sector, discusses key lessons on aligning better with your board. Topics include shared leadership, the importance of strong board-staff relationships, changing dynamics of organizational structures, and building a strong relationship between executives and board chairs. The episode also highlights the resources available on their website for nonprofit leaders.
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Quick takeaways
The most effective executives intentionally create a framework for shared leadership, emphasizing the importance of a strong relationship between the executive director and the board chair.
Moving from the private sector to the nonprofit sector requires a shift in understanding how leadership operates, with nonprofits thriving when leaders embrace shared leadership and view the board as an equal engine alongside the staff.
Deep dives
Importance of Shared Leadership
The most effective executives intentionally create a framework for shared leadership, as seen in the nonprofit sector. This framework involves board and staff leaders working together as thought partners and ambassadors for the organization. It emphasizes the importance of a strong relationship between the executive director and the board chair, who serve as co-pilots in a twin engine plane. This partnership, built on trust and respect, helps preempt problems, identify opportunities, and navigate crises.
Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector
Moving from the private sector to the nonprofit sector requires a shift in understanding how leadership operates. Nonprofits thrive when leaders embrace shared leadership and view the board as an equal engine alongside the staff. The executive director's role is not to be the boss, but rather the person responsible for leading and coordinating the different engines. Building a partnership based on trust and respect allows the executive director and board chair to effectively address challenges, make tough decisions, and ensure the organization's success.
Establishing Clarity and Accountability
Clear communication and defined roles are crucial in the executive director-board chair relationship. Each party must understand who decides what and where their responsibilities lie. The executive director has the authority to make decisions regarding staff hiring and firing, while the board plays a significant role in approving new board members. Open and honest discussions about decision-making processes, hiring, and other critical areas of the organization prevent misunderstandings and foster trust between the executive director and board chair.
Moving Beyond Risk Management
To fully leverage the potential of a nonprofit board, executive directors must elevate the level of board engagement. While oversight and risk management are essential components of governance, strategic and generative levels of engagement should be emphasized. This shift requires executive directors to provide education and create opportunities for board members to contribute thoughtfully and creatively to the organization. By empowering the board to embrace strategic and generative thinking, executive directors enable their organizations to thrive and tap into the full value of their board members' expertise and passion.
Joan Garry: Guide to Nonprofit Leadership
Joan Garry is an internationally recognized champion for the nonprofit sector and a highly sought after executive coach for CEOs at some of the largest organizations. Joan’s firm offers high-end strategic advisory services with a unique combination of coaching and management consulting. She is the founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, a worldclass online educational membership organization for board and staff leaders of small nonprofits.
As a columnist for the Chronicle of Philanthropy, contributor to Harvard Business Review and to Forbes, Joan is a preeminent media spokesperson and thought leader on the role of the nonprofit sector in our society and is a sought after voice on issues facing the sector today. Joan was previously executive director of GLAAD, one of the largest gay rights organizations in the United States. She is the author of Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership: Because the World is Counting on You*.
When thinking about executives interacting with boards, the first thought I used to have was that an executive’s job is keep the board happy. In contrast, the most effective executives are intentional about creating a for framework for shared leadership. In this episode, Joan and I discuss key lessons from the non-profit world to help align better with your board.
Key Points
The relationship between an executive director and board chair in one of the most critical ones for an organization. Shared leadership provides more opportunity today than hierarchy.
Many “type A” people are in leadership roles. Getting clear on who decides what is critical because “type A” people don’t tend to operate well with ambiguity.
Focus on getting clarity and aligned on one thing at a time to avoid overwhelming the decision-making progress. Use a recent example as a catalyst to begin this process.
Executive directors should encourage boards to think and work at altitude so they get beyond only doing risk management.
It’s not enough to expect a board chair or member to want to “give back” — more important is to understand why they want to give back to this organization specifically.
Resources Mentioned
Joan Garry's Guide to Nonprofit Leadership: Because the World is Counting on You* by Joan Garry
Nonprofit Leadership Lab
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
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