Three Important Criteria for Selecting Excellent Board Members
It’s the end of the year and you know that several of your current board members are ready to step down from the Board. As the Executive Director/CEO, you check your bylaws and know that you may have certain criteria that you must abide by such as industry or type of business, or that catch-all, At Large. Hopefully you are not also bound to an open election or popularity contest. If so, a change in bylaws might be your first order of business!
Provided that you have some involvement in shortlisting candidates, what are some selection criteria that you should consider? My experience with both serving on boards as well as working with boards has taught me that a careful and thoughtful selection process can not only greatly benefit the organization but can save a world of heartache down the road.
Big Picture – Strategic Thinker
If you ask a prospective board member what he/she sees as one of the biggest challenges facing business today, and they answer “affordable housing for workforce,” that would reflect more of a big picture thinker as opposed to answering “the real estate agent next door keeps using my customer parking.”
Often board meetings can become mired in tactical discussions, such as the color of the building, rather than the strategic solution that the building provides. Selecting people that are often in top leadership positions in their careers and then spending some time to interview them can help keep the discussions on a strategic level, leaving the tactics and execution to staff and committees.
Influence – Money, Friends, or Fame
Another criterion that is often overlooked is the level of influence that a board member can bring to your organization. A wise Chamber leader, Keith Woods, once said in talking about events and programs: “If a program/event doesn’t Make you Money, Make you Friends, or Make your Famous, get rid of it!”
I believe that this equally describes a certain level of influence that new board members can provide. Make you Money doesn’t necessarily mean the person has deep pockets, but that they can be persuasive with their contacts and peers and aren’t afraid to ask for support. Make you Friends speaks to the prospective board member’s ability to communicate to important key partners through a high level of respect, and Make you Famous is someone that carries an amount of celebrity status that bodes well for the organization mission and goals.
These influencers are not usually the majority of a board, but can be a huge boon to your organization as long as the passion is aligned and the ego can be kept in check.
Strategic Knowledge or Experience
As you review your strategic plan and goals, what knowledge or experience do you need to be successful? Perhaps a new capital campaign or tax initiative is in your future – what financial expertise is on your board or staff? Do you need additional legal counsel?
One of your goals may be to integrate innovative technology into your communication strategy. Do you have anyone on your board that has had successful experience with marketing or use of technology in communication?
These types of knowledge or experience are important criteria to consider as you recruit new board members. While you can outsource skills on a short term basis, doing so for a longer period of time or for a broader scope, can use valuable resources and may lack qualified oversight by the existing leadership.
Process for Board Member Recruitment and Selection
These three criteria have been very valuable in my experience, however, equally important is the process either dictated by your bylaws or ingrained in your organization policies and practices for board selection. How do candidates apply? Do you actively recruit board members year round? What does the interview process look like and who conducts the interviews? What role does your board leadership play in filling vacancies?
If you have concerns about the strength and efficacy of your Board of Directors and would like to review your current practices and examine potential alternative practices, contact Sandy Hall Consulting, LLC for a free consultation at sandyevanshall@gmail.com or 970-846-6284.
