Improving Board Performance
Improving Board Performance
Introduction
In a non-profit organization that has been in operation for a considerable amount of time now, it is required that the Board of Directors is compact and the primary driving force for the organization's relevance in its business. However, in our organization, the board has not performed as expected leading to stagnation and poor performance of the organization. After being appointed as the chairperson of the board, my vision is to improve the board performance during my tenure.
In my bid to improve the performance of the board, I will ensure that each board member is actively involved in decision making. At no given point will I make assumptions or allow the board members to make assumptions about the course of the organization, rather they (board members) will be expected to make choices based on data. Therefore, in the course of my term as the chairperson, I will work towards changing the organization for the better. My decision will be informed by an understanding that having the organization remains, in the same way, overtime will lead to its becoming outdated (Firstenberg, 2009). Therefore, as the leader of the board I will steer change by guiding the members of the board to develop and put in place strategies for growth, having the board guide the organization into specializing in a few areas of expertise as opposed to having the organization engaging in many failing activities, and restructuring the organization from being agency-focused to client-focused. That way, every board member will be guided by data in decision making and will not be involved in any assumptions.
Equipping Board Members for the Job
A major problem that has caused inefficiency of the board of directors is unclear roles for the board members. With that understanding, I will assign each board member realistic roles and which will be distinct from members (Riggio & Orr, 2004). At the end of the day, each board member will have a distinct role to play, and this will eliminate duplication of efforts. Additionally, though the board members are not compensated regarding salaries but allowances for sittings, I will remunerate them accordingly. The good remuneration will not only serve as a motivator but also serve to show their status regarding the power they hold.
A Clear Vision
An improved Board of Directors' performance will be made possible by a shared vision. I will, therefore, embark on facilitating and leading the board members into developing a vision and later widely inform the stakeholders involved. After developing the vision, I will require that each board member will understand the vision with respect to the type of change it will bring in the organization and their role in the vision (Riggio & Orr, 2004). After developing the vision, I will offer leadership to the board and expect it to come up the various roles and expectations of each of the stakeholders in the organization. That way, conflicting expectations between the board and organization staff will not exist. Thus, through an inclusive and shared vision, the organization will improve in performance, and this will translate to performance of the board of directors.
Improvement of Board Members' Personal Behaviors
Since board members are not full-time employees of the organization, it is partly difficult to regulate their personal behaviors. At the same time, their behavior is important in the positive performance of the board. As a leader, I will encourage the board members to align their behaviors with the core values of the organization for maximum performance of the board (Riggio & Orr, 2004). Additionally, since the organization is a non-profit, I will encourage the members to go out of their way and make sacrifices for the good of the community served by the organization. At that point, I will be strict with performance and any member who fails to deliver, I will have his contribution or influence in the board removed.
Exit Procedures
Finally, I work towards ensuring that none of the board members is mishandled or erroneously removed from his or her position. In that light, I will ensure that the exit procedures are documented and are followed in case a member is exiting (Firstenberg, 2009). That way, the board will maintain professionalism, show commitment, and remain motivated towards better performance.
References
Firstenberg, P. B. (2009). The 21st-century nonprofit: managing in the age of governance. New York: Foundation Center.
Riggio. R. E., & Orr, S. S., (2004). Improving leadership in nonprofit organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
