It started with a threat, from a board member in the midst of a board meeting. “If she doesn’t produce in a year, she’s out of here.” Thirty seconds. Sixty seconds. Silence hung in the room like fog at dawn. I was beginning my third job with a nonprofit. The first two positions were highly-sought-after spots with low-pay and high-perks. … Read more »
Tag: board
Why Does Your Board Micromanage? Learn from My Error and Create a Board that Governs
It was a beautiful August morning. Twenty campers and four counselors outfitted in orange lifejackets paddled silver canoes across a glassy blue lake in northern New Hampshire. We pulled up to a sand spit. As we unloaded, I, one of the junior counselors, muttered, “I wish I had a brownie. We should have brought snacks.” In response, all twenty campers moaned in… Read more »
Lasso the Future Moving Your Noncommittal Board Candidates Off the Fence
You plan to ask a candidate whom you’ve vetted and wooed for months to serve on your board. You plan what to say if they answer yes or no. But how will you respond if they tell you, “I want to think about it?”