Be a better board member

The six traits commonly found in incredible board leaders

For the past 15 years I have both reported to and served on nonprofit boards of directors. I’ve learned that being a good board member is part art and part science. We mainly focus on the science because there are a lot of important boxes to check — compliance, business planning, sustainability, etc.
But the art of board service, the ways board leaders can inspire others, set the tone of conversations, and be not just respected, but beloved by the staff, often goes underappreciated.
Having worked with some incredible board leaders, I’ve noticed that they share similar traits. Here are a few of them.

1. Be nice. You’re in a position of power and you will receive the respect of the staff. But power should be balanced with gentleness.
2. Listen. Your board colleagues and staff want to hear from you. They need your input. But they’ll seldom tell you when you talked too much in a meeting. Read the room and measure your comments with the people around you.
3. Avoid solo-synergy. Dozens of ideas get proposed before, during and after meetings. The best board members balance their personal convictions with humility and the interests of the group.
4. Respect the history. The structure of meetings is the result of feedback from generations of board leaders. Don’t assume things need to change simply because you aren’t used to them.
5. Know what you don’t know. It’s easy for board members to forget that they’re only seeing a small representation of what the staff has on their plates. You can create or relieve stress. Be intentional about both.
6. Ask the CEO how he or she is feeling. The best board members find ways to make their CEO feel safe sharing fears and concerns. If you see your CEO tense up before an important vote or looking discouraged after a meeting, find out why. It could be him or her, or it could be you.

Knowing all this, as a board member I still talk when I should listen, I think I know more than I do, I fail to appreciate the many things staff or other board members have to worry about, I focus too much on my own ideas, and on and on. It’s a constant evolution, but I can tell you this for sure: Your CEO and staff respect and need you. They want to make you happy. They fear you and admire you. They talk about you before and after meetings. They strategize about how to communicate or best relate to you. They look forward to your attendance at meetings, unless it’s a bad relationship. Then they look forward to you leaving.

Daniel Flowers is president and CEO of Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. He  is a member and former vice-chairman of Feeding America’s National Affiliate Council and is currently chairman of the Ohio Association of Foodbank’s board of directors.