Being part of a passionate group who is volunteering their time and talent for a common cause is an amazing thing.But, when members become agitated, non-committal, argumentative, passive and worse yet, invisible; the organization is in for trouble. Something has happened to “un-passion” your board. This should help.
You can tell when a board is bored by how effectively they communicate with each other. When members are no longer interested in the goals of the organization, they begin to deal more with personal and self-involved goals. This usually spirals into arguments and politically induced decision-making and become very dangerous to the organization.
Tips to Stimulate Your Board
1. Present a clear and flexible plan for the goal that the organization needs to reach. Make sure that you have each step outlined up to the desired goal. No surprises. Even though things may not turn out the way that you planned, having a clear, flexible strategy in place gives your board members a unifying project to work towards.
2. All goals should have dates. In getting a team to work collaboratively it is important to have a specific date of completion for each goal that the team is aiming for. This keeps you focused on success and also gives you a measure of productivity.
3. Make sure that the board understands how each project works as part of the whole for the organization. Showing the importance of each task in relation to the whole, will give members clear understanding of why they need to do the things they need to do. It also shows how important their work is to the success of the organization’s strategic plan.
4. Clarify what their work will accomplish and how it affects other things in the organization, makes for a smarter and more passionate group. Often board members don’t clearly relate to the actual day to day of the organization’s work flow. Clarifying what their work will accomplish and how it affects other things in the organization makes for a smarter and more passionate group.
5. Reward success regularly. Want to keep your board motivated? Reward them for success – big or small. Document it. Put it on the wall or in your newsletter. It doesn’t have to cost money, but it should show them that they are recognized for their efforts. This is so important for future initiatives. You are creating a history of success. When times get tough, you’ve already invested in them and they understand that they are recognized. Everyone wants to be part of a winning and appreciated team.
Repeat steps at every meeting to keep members focused.
BONUS
Don’t over schedule meetings. Many boards meet quarterly to manage the success of the organization, while others also meet bi-monthly. The most successful community boards meet quarterly with sub groups meeting a bit more frequently. Often times the more often community members are asked to meet, the more likelihood that a misdirected alignment of responsibility will set in and those meetings will become problematic.
If your organization needs more focused attention, we can design a support plan that will help.
Contact us today to schedule a discovery session.
P.S.
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