I think I have now sat on every side of the table. I’ve been a senior staff member giving reports to a board. I was a director working with an advisory board. I’m once again a director reporting to a statutory governing body. From the other side, I’ve been a nonprofit and governmental board member, secretary, treasurer, vice president and chair.
It’s work. But it’s worth it.
Like any other human endeavor, serving on a board isn’t easy, particularly at the beginning. But we all have to start somewhere and there’s no shame in not knowing how to do something you’ve never tried before. Eventually, though, we can and should learn how to get better.
For those of you just joining a board, here are 10 suggestions for how to do a good job.
Understand the mission of the organization. At the library, we promote literacy, the right of Americans to investigate the evidence and make up their own minds. Our job is to inform citizens and communities. It is not to protect them from things they may not agree with or enforce the prejudices of one group on another.
Understand the law. Public bodies in particular operate within a frame of federal, state and sometimes local law. Your orientation should cover that.
Understand the difference between operations and governance. This is a tough one for lots of people, usually because of the kind of board they served on. If you’re a member of a civic group — the Optimists, the Lions, the Rotarians — being on the board means that you’re put to work. You set up the tables at a street fair. You pick up the trash on the highway. That’s operations, and the board is in the thick of things because there is no staff.
But if you’re the member of a board that has paid workers, respect the charge of the executive director to administer board-adopted policy and budgets. Making those calls is what you pay them for.
Governance focuses on the larger issues. Are there clear and professional policies for key operations (for libraries, that would be personnel, collections, facilities)? Make sure you’ve got them, then get out of the way. Or as one board I worked on put it, “Noses in. Hands out.” Pay attention instead to broad issues of financial stability, of policies that ensure adherence to best practices, of plans that move the institution forward, and evaluation of the performance of both the director and the board.
Make each other look good. Board members are not only keepers of the reputation of the institution, but are also keepers of each other’s reputation. This does not mean that you ignore issues that need to be talked about. It doesn’t mean that you always agree. But you listen respectfully and with an open mind to each other. Bad board members are trying to win an argument, no matter how bad it makes the other board member look, or the institution they serve. Good board members try to win the relationship and find ways to present our community institutions and each other in the best possible light.
Stay focused on the issues. Most public bodies follow something like Robert’s Rules of Order. But it’s not just parliamentary procedure for its own sake. The idea is to keep people centered on the actual issues and to keep the meeting moving without stepping all over each other. Here’s what I think we ought to do. (Motion.) Anybody else agree with that course of action? (Second.) Let’s talk about pros and cons. (Discussion.) Let’s vote. (Call the question.) Then let’s move on.
Argue for and vote your conscience. But abide by the group’s decision. Represent it without slander. Own it. This is our decision.
Understand the difference between your opinion and the decision of the entire board. As executive director of the Garfield County Public Library District, I don’t have seven bosses. I have one: the consensus of the board.
Respect each other’s time. Read the board packet. Be on time for the meetings. Participate in discussions. Don’t revisit things you’ve already decided unless something huge has changed.
Follow the chain of command. The surest way to destroy the morale of an organization is to have people ignore clear lines of communication. It can happen by encouraging or entertaining staff who bypass their supervisors to complain to their bosses’ boss. It can happen by board members who actively circumvent the courtesy of communications with the chair. From my view this isn’t about power. It’s about having a defined connection between authority and responsibility.
Maintain goodwill and grace. Being a human being means that things will sometimes be messy, confusing or tense. But it doesn’t have to be malicious. We should give each other some grace for the inevitable slip ups and boundary crossings. Let’s remind each other of our purpose, gently guide ourselves back on path and carry on.
Boards, public boards especially, deal with lots of other issues, too. I’ll talk about those in future columns.
[This column ran in the Sopris Sun on February 19, 2025.]
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