3 Methods for Building a Board Chair & CEO Power Team Starting Today!

The strength of the relationship between the Board Chair and CEO is directly related to the strength and success of a nonprofit and its governance. Our team of nonprofit consultants have identified three key methods for improving the relationship between the Board Chair and CEO in order to build the power team.

Build Shared Vision

Prior to creating a plan for the future, there must first be a vision. Without it, there is no clear direction or end goal. Vision represents the idea, passion, drive, and journey that the Board Chair & CEO plan to embark on with the organization. In many cases, it will also determine who follows. Both leaders must think and act cohesively, verses having individual agendas. When there is shared understanding between both leaders they can craft a vision for how they want to lead the organization and nonprofit Board of Directors as they move forward. 

As General Gordon Sullivan (Fr. Army Chief of Staff) states in his book, Hope is not a Method, “There are no hard-and-fast rules for what your organization’s vision should look like. The critical test is not length or grammatical construction.  The critical test is fit.  A vision must fit the organization for which it was created, and it must be empowering, providing both the leader and the led a tool that can translate into strategy and action that result in real growth and change. The vision must pull the organization into the future.”

The Board Chair and CEO should always strive towards the same vision, methodology and outcomes as a cohesive team. When they co-create plans, approaches, and problem solve together, it strengthens the bonds of trust, respect, and teamwork.

Communicate Effectively

The #1 rule for the Board Chair and CEO relationship is to have No Surprises! When the Board Chair and CEO trust each other, operate from a shared vision, and communicate effectively, there will be complete transparency. It can be both embarrassing and upsetting to receive unanticipated information during a Board meeting. This situation sends a negative message to other Board members that there is a division in the Team. 

To avoid being unprepared and surprised, both the Board Chair and CEO should meet or speak on a regular basis. These discussions should be structured in a manner that will prevent them from becoming formalities. There are two planning tools available to Leaders that will provide structure for their discussions: the Nonprofit Strategic Plan and the Nonprofit Board Agenda.

The Strategic Plan provides context for how the organization is going to move forward and the outcomes required to achieve goals. The Board Agenda ensures the Board is being engaged around supporting and aligning decision making to the Strategic Plan. 

The Board Chair and CEO should speak once a week to discuss shaping the agenda, utilizing committees, future agendas, governance need, organization need, and problem solving. To effectively achieve their shared vision, not only does this power team need to communicate effectively, but they must also organize and plan.

Plan & Organize

The most important contribution anyone can add to an organization is their time, and a Board Member’s time is an incredibly valuable asset. People tend to volunteer their time where their talents are best utilized and they feel they can add the most amount of value. It is the role of the Board Chair and CEO to orchestrate how to manage and deploy that time.

Have you ever experienced being a part of a Board Meeting where you felt you were not engaged or had little to contribute? Avoiding this is the responsibility of The Board Chair and CEO. The Board’s time must be managed through board meetings, committees, and other engagement opportunities. The Board agenda is a powerful tool to be able to create engaging discussions, participation, and decision making. 

Using an innovative approach to crafting an agenda is the #1 way to maximize each Board Member’s time, efforts, and talents. 

It can not be said enough that the strength of the Board Chair and CEO relationship will lead to success for the organization. Both leaders can synchronize nonprofit governance and operations to move in tandem towards fulfilling the strategic goals and desired outcomes. If you would like more information regarding our Board Agenda Solution please contact us.