When the world is in turmoil, we have four choices. Which one will you choose? [...]
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One of the reasons to have a board is to have a group of people who are going to carefully deliberate over important issues. What issues are important enough to require board attention? Let us refer to the important issues as “significant transactions”. [...] It is wrong for a nonprofit board to micromanage. A board must monitor the nonprofit’s activity. Where is the balance? [...] Before we begin work on a project one of the first questions we ask is, “Does the board agree there is a problem?” Our follow-on question is, “Does the board agree that now is time to solve the problem?” [...] Every nonprofit has a board. Almost every nonprofit wants a more effective board. How do you translate, the wants into practical, manageable changes? [...] The primary function of a board is to make decisions. They should be making decisions that answer questions like: What is the plan? What policies do we need to support the plan? How do we monitor the plan and policies? [...] Micromanagement during a difficult time is an almost irresistible urge. We all believe it is wrong, except when we are the micromanager. When we are the micromanager, we tell ourselves, “This is the one time when it is justified.” Regardless of how much one feels it is justified, it is still uncomfortable for the person who is being micromanaged. [...] It is commonly accepted that boards have four responsibilities. In no particular order, they are goal setting, self-management, monitoring activity, and creating policy. Goal setting is one of the more difficult for boards. They struggle with what kind of goals to set, how far into the future to look, and how realistic to make the goals. [...] Policy is like the curbs on the road, traffic signs, and the line down the middle. Policy keeps the parochial school on the right path. Policy is at its best if it sets of guidelines that encourage action and give permission for one to exercise judgment. Policy is least valuable when it prohibits activity or forces action. [...] The end of the school year is here. There is a rush to complete dozens of projects. Students, teachers, and the administration all have several projects that must end in a few weeks. The opposite is true for the board. [...] |
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