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the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan
down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section
“Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click
on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The
blog also links to numerous free related resources.
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been
selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Board Member Job Descriptions
In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to Board Member Job Descriptions. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.
The following description was adapted from materials from BoardSource. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Serves as the Chief Volunteer of the organization (nonprofit only)
3. Is a partner with the Chief Executive in achieving the organization’s mission
4. Provides leadership to the Board of Directors, who sets policy and to whom the Chief Executive is accountable.
5. Chairs meetings of the Board after developing the agenda with the Chief Executive.
6. Encourages Board’s role in strategic planning
7. Appoints the chairpersons of committees, in consultation with other Board members.
8. Serves ex officio as a member of committees and attends their meetings when invited.
9. Discusses issues confronting the organization with the Chief Executive.
10. Helps guide and mediate Board actions with respect to organizational priorities and governance concerns.
11. Reviews with the Chief Executive any issues of concern to the Board.
12. Monitors financial planning and financial reports.
13. Plays a leading role in fundraising activities (nonprofit only)
14. Formally evaluates the performance of the Chief Executive and informally evaluates the effectiveness of the Board members.
15. Evaluates annually the performance of the organization in achieving its mission.
16. Performs other responsibilities assigned by the Board.
The following description was adapted from materials from BoardSource. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
This position in typically successor to the Chair position. In addition to the responsibilities outlined in the Committee Member job description, this position:
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Performs Chair responsibilities when the Chair cannot be available (see Chair Job Description)
3. Reports to the Board’s Chair
4. Works closely with the Chair and other staff
5. Participates closely with the Chair to develop and implement officer transition plans.
6. Performs other responsibilities as assigned by the Board.
The following description was adapted from materials from BoardSource. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Sets tone for the committee work.
3. Ensures that members have the information needed to do their jobs.
4. Oversees the logistics of committee’s operations.
5. Reports to the Board’s Chair.
6. Reports to the full Board on committee’s decisions/recommendations.
7. Works closely with the Chief Executive and other staff as agreed to by the Chief Executive.
8. Assigns work to the committee members, sets the agenda and runs the meetings, and ensures distribution of meeting minutes.
9. Initiates and leads the committee’s annual evaluation.
The following description was adapted from materials from BoardSource. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1. Regularly attends board meetings and important related meetings.
2. Makes serious commitment to participate actively in committee work.
3. Volunteers for and willingly accepts assignments and completes them thoroughly and on time.
4. Stays informed about committee matters, prepares themselves well for meetings, and reviews and comments on minutes and reports.
5. Gets to know other committee members and builds a collegial working relationship that contributes to consensus.
6. Is an active participant in the committee’s annual evaluation and planning efforts.
7. Participates in fund raising for the organization (nonprofit only).
The following description was adapted from materials from the National Center for Nonprofit Boards. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Maintains records of the board and ensures effective management of organization’s records
3. Manages minutes of board meetings
4. Ensures minutes are distributed to members shortly after each meeting
5.Is sufficiently familiar with legal documents (articles, by-laws, IRS letters, etc.) to note applicability during meetings
The following description was adapted from materials from the National Center for Nonprofit Boards. Note that materials apply to both for-profit and nonprofit unless otherwise noted.
1. Is a member of the Board
2. Manages finances of the organization
3. Administrates fiscal matters of the organization
4. Provides annual budget to the board for members’ approval
5. Ensures development and board review of financial policies and procedures
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Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Applies to for-profit and nonprofit Boards, unless marked differently.
Perhaps the best way to benefit from this topic is first to scan the subtopics in the following table, including how they are arranged on this page. The left side of the table lists the typical topics in Board operations, and the right side lists the typical functions in an organization that a Board must oversee.
Also, if you are looking for a very specific subtopic or article about Boards on this page, you might use the “find” function in your browser, and enter the keyword(s) in order to search this page for those subtopics or articles. You also can use the “search” box in the upper right-hand corner.
Strategic Planning — Learn This Critical Skill for Board Members
The Consultants Development Institute’s Series Facilitating Strategic Planning provides free online courses, downloadable tools and interaction with experienced faculty to learn the core skills to facilitate strategic planning for any kind of organization. This is a critical skill for prospective and current Board members. Enrollment is unlimited.
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to This Topic
In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been
selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Hiring and New Chief Executive
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have posts related to Hiring a New Chief Executive. Scan down the blog’s page
to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar
of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog.
This procedure can be used to guide an organization through the
hiring or transition to a new chief executive. The procedure addresses
most of the major considerations during the transition, but there
will certainly be unique items that will come. The procedure should
be carefully reviewed by the relevant board members and current
chief executive (if one exists) to ensure it is complete for their
needs. (Note that this list is very useful as a risk management
mechanism, e.g., for contingency planning, for review by an organization
even if the chief executive is not leaving.) If the current chief
executive is being fired, this procedure should be modified accordingly.
This document contains the following sections.
Current Chief Executive’s Notification to Board (if the current CEO is
leaving)
1. Typically, the chief
executive will notify the board chair or other board member.
The chair should immediately notify the rest
of the board members in the next board meeting.
2. Attempt to negotiate a four-week-notice period from the
chief executive. It’s not unlikely that there will be
a period without a new chief executive. This procedure will help
guide through that period.
Need for Confidentiality in Hiring a New Chief Executive
1. The board members should be apprised as soon
as possible. Occasionally,
members believe that transitions should be handled so cautiously
that even some board members should not hear about the transition.
This is the wrong approach. Each board member is legally responsible
for the leadership of the organization, and deserves to know about
all matters when they occur.
2. Discuss how to handle public relations. The community
will soon hear the chief executive is leaving. Agree on how this
message will be conveyed to the community. If the transition is
expected to take over a month (they often do), consider sending
a letter to the major stakeholders (funders (nonprofit only),
advisors, suppliers, “peer” organizations, etc.) notifying
them of the transition and assuring them that transition planning
is being carried out thoroughly. Ask them to contact the board
chair if they have any concerns or questions.
3. Note that applicants to the chief executive role deserve
complete confidentiality. Make every effort not to expose
applicants’ names to the public or staff. If certain staff are
selected to interview the candidates, they should be coached to
not reveal candidate names to the rest of staff. This confidentiality
is not a matter of secrecy to be manipulate, rather it is a matter
of protecting candidates who may not want their names out in public
as looking for a new job. Of course, this matter of confidentiality
is ultimately up to the board, but if confidentiality is not assured,
it is very likely that the number of candidates will be quite
limited.
Board Preparation for Hiring a New Chief Executive
1. Appoint an ad hoc
transition board committee to focus on this transition –
This committee will manage the transition and make recommendations
to the entire board regarding any matters with the transition.
This committee role could be assumed by the current Executive
Committee or a Personnel Committee. Committee members should commit
to availability over the next four to eight weeks.
2. This transition planning procedure should promptly be
reviewed and updated to constitute the transition planning
document.
3. As soon the transition plan is complete, the staff should
promptly be notified of the transition. A board member
should attend the staff meeting where notification is given and
the staff should be assured that the transition is being planned
and carried out. The plan might be reviewed in the staff meeting.
A copy of the transition plan should be shared with all staff
members.
4. Identify funding for the transition(nonprofit
only. For example, are any funds needed for a national
search, to move the new candidate, for training the new candidate,
will any consultants be needed, etc.?
5. Update the chief executive job description. The
description will be referenced to write the ad for the position,
during interviewing and for ongoing guidance to new chief executive,
and ensuring adequate compensation. When updating the job description,
consider: current overall responsibilities, strategic planning
goals for the year and the nature of current major issues that
need to be addressed. Identify the most important criteria for
selecting the new person and then rank the criteria (this ranking
comes in handy when comparing candidates). The board should update
the job description among themselves. The current chief executive
should update the description at the same time, but independently.
The board and chief executive should share their comments to the
job description and discuss differences to come to consensus.
Write a final version of the job description.
6. Get ads out as soon as possible. The board should
decide if they are going to do a local and/or national search.
7. Hiring the new chief executive. (See the section,
“Hiring to Fill the New Role” later on in this document.)
Administrative Preparation for Hiring a New Chief Executive
1. Establish an interim
staff structure. Consider appointing an acting chief executive
from among the top reports to the current chief executive. If
this course is followed, ensure the job description is well understand
by the acting chief executive and the acting arrangement is documented
in a letter between the acting chief executive and the board.
Send a memo throughout the staff, indicating this interim appointment
and how the acting chief executive will work with the staff until
a permanent chief executive is identified. (Be very careful with
this type of temporary arrangement as it can set lull board members
into believing the transition is complete, which it is not.)
2. Update the administrative calendar for the organization.
Ask the chief executive to make a schedule of all major recurring
activities during the year (e.g., performance reviews, special
events, staff meetings, one-on-one meetings, lease/contract expiration
dates, when paychecks come out, etc.)
3. Get a list of key stakeholders. Have the chief
executive make a list of all community key stakeholders whom the
new chief executive should know about, e.g., funders (nonprofit
only, advisors (legal, accounting, real estate), “peer”
organizations, etc.
4. Review chief executive’s office facilities. Ask
the chief executive to document the status of his/her office,
e.g., ensure there are labels on all documents and drawers. Appropriate
staff and at least two board member should meet with the chief
executive to review where he/she keeps their files and major documents.
Staff should retain a key to the office and appropriate board
members should retain keys to the desk drawers and file cabinets.
5. Review personnel status. Two or more board members
should meet with the chief executive to review personnel files,
e.g., are there any current personnel issues or pending major
actions? If so, it may be best to wait until the transition to
the new chief executive if this is expected to occur during the
next month or so.
6. The current chief executive should complete performance
reviews on all personnel before he/she leaves. This ensures
that the chief executive’s important feedback to personnel is
collected before he/she goes, gives personnel a fair opportunity
to reflect their past performance to the new chief executive,
and gives the new chief executive the input he/she deserves about
each employee to ensure effective supervision.
Interim
Coordination Between Board and Staff
1. Emergency contacts for
the staff. Staff should be given names and phone numbers
of at least two board members whom can be contacted if needed.
These two members should brief the entire board on the nature
of any emergency calls from staff, if calls were made.
2. Board and staff meetings. Depending on the size
of the organization, have weekly meetings of full staff (if small)
or all managers (if large) during the transition until a new chief
executive is hired. Have a board member attend the meetings. Have
a staff member (acting chief executive, or the current top reports,
or rotate among top reports) attend portions of the board meetings.
3. Coming up to speed on chief executive’s current activities
in the organization. Have the current chief executive
ask all staff members to update a “todo” list of their
current major activities over the past month, planned activities
over the coming two months and any major issues they’re having
now. These todo lists will serve to coordinate work details during
the transition and help update the new chief executive come up
to speed.
4. Authorization lists. Decide who will issue paychecks
and sign off on them during the transition. Often, the board treasurer
and/or secretary will conduct this sign-off role.
5. A board member should meet with the current chief executive
once a week before he/she goes. Review status of work
activities, any current issues, etc.
Hiring the New Chief Executive
1. Advertise the position
– Post ads in classified sections of local major newspapers. In
the ads, include the job title, general responsibilities, minimum
skills and/or education required, whom they should send a resume
to if they are interested and by when. Mention the role to customers.
Send cover letters and job descriptions to professional organizations.
Be sure to mention the role to all staff to see if they have any
favorite candidates. Consider using a professional recruiting
service.
2. Note that current employees should be able to apply for
the job. Considerations in hiring them for the new role
will have to include the impact on the organization if the employee
leaves behind a critical and unfilled role in the organization.
3. Screen resumes – Often, a board committee will
screen the first round of candidates, including review of resumes
and first round interviews. When screening resumes, note the candidate’s
career objective — or the lack of it. If not specified, the candidate
may not have considered what they want to do in the future, which
may impact their commitment to your new role. Note if they stayed
at jobs long or did they leave quickly. Are there holes in their
work history? Note their education and training. Is it appropriate
for the new role? Consider what capabilities and skills are evidenced
in their past and current work activities. Interview all candidates
that meet the minimum qualifications. (At this point, be sure
that you’re not excluding candidates because of unfair biases.)
4. Interview candidates – Send the job description
to candidates before they come to the interview meeting. While
interviewing candidates, always apply the same questions to all
candidates to ensure fairness. All questions should be in regard
to performing the duties of the job. Ask about their compensation
needs and expected or needed benefits. Attempt to ask open-ended
questions, i.e., avoid “yes-no” questions. Talk for
at most 25% of the time — the rest of the time, listen. Don’t
rely on your memory — ask permission from the interviewee to
take notes. Find out when they can start if offered the job. Consider
having multiple people at the interview; although this can be
intimidating to the interviewee, this practice can ensure them
a much more objective and fair presentation. (If staff participate
in the interviews, ensure they realize they are advisory in capacity.
Board members have the legal responsibility to select the new
chief executive.) Have the same people as interviewers in all
of the interviews. Consider asking some challenging, open-ended
questions, such as Why do you want the job?, What skills do you
bring to this job?, What concerns do you have about filling this
role?, What was your biggest challenge in a past job and how did
you meet it? Do you have a preliminary vision for (the nature
of your agency’s services)? Describe your ideal (board, fundraising (nonprofit only), budgeting, personnel management, program
management) process. Don’t ask questions about race, nationality,
age, gender, disabilities (current or previous), marital status,
spouses, children and their care, criminal records or credit records.
Have all interviewers share/record their impressions of the candidate
right after the interview meeting. Explain to the candidate that
you’ll be getting back to them soon and always do this. Ask if
you can get and check any references. Always check references
and share them with the interviewers. Be sure to tell candidates
of any relevant personnel policies terms, such as probationary
periods. (The best way to deal with a poor performer is not to
hire him or her in the first place. It is often wise to have a
probationary period of, e.g., six months, wherein if the employee
does not meet the responsibilities of the position, you can terminate
the employee.) If practical, look into the applicant’s background
to ascertain if they have a criminal record.
5. Select the candidate – Usually, a board transition
committee recommends the top two or three candidates to the entire
board for discussion and selection. This may require another round
of interviews, this time including more/other board members. Usually,
this is not as easy as one would like because two or three candidates
come in close. Have a highly focused meeting with all interviewers.
(Again, note that staff members can provide input to the selection
of the new chief executive, but should not be involved in voting.)
Have each interviewer suggest their favorite candidate. If there
is disagreement, focus discussion to identify the one or two areas
in which interviewers disagree about the candidates. Then have
each interviewer explain their impressions. At this point, interviewers
usually come to consensus and agree on one candidate.
6. If there does not seem to be a most suitable candidate
– Consider if the job requirements are too stringent or are an
odd mix. Or, consider hiring the candidate who came in closest
and plan for dedicated training to bring their skills to the needed
levels. Or, re-advertise the position. Consider getting advice
from a human resources professional (at this point, your need
for them is quite specific, so they might provide services on
a pro bono basis). Or, consider hiring a consultant on a short-term
basis, but only as a last resort as this may be quite expensive.
7. If everyone turns down the job – The best strategy
is to ask the candidates why they turned the job down. Usually,
you’ll hear the same concerns, e.g., the pay is too low or the
benefits incomplete, the organization seems confused about what
it wants from the role, the interview process seemed hostile or
contentious, etc. Reconvene the interviewers and consider what
you heard from the candidates. Recognize what went wrong and correct
the problem. Call back your favorite candidates, admit the mistake
and what you did, and why you’d like to make an offer to them
again.
8. Offer letter – If they accept an offer, always
follow-up with an offer letter, specifying the compensation, benefits,
and starting date and reference an attached job description. Ask
them to sign a copy of the offer letter and return it to you.
9. Start a personnel file – Include in the file,
the signed offer letter, tax withholding forms, the job description
and any benefits forms.
Orienting the New Chief Executive
Develop an orientation procedure
and consider the following activities for inclusion on the list.
The following activities should be conducted by the board, if
possible.
1. Before the new chief executive begins employment, send
them a letter welcoming them to the organization, verifying
their starting date and providing them a copy of the employee
policies and procedures manual. (This can be included in the offer
letter.)
2. At this point, the board may send a letter to stakeholders.
The letter would announce the new person, when they are
starting, something about their background, etc., and asking them
to call the board chair if they have any questions or concerns.
3. Meet with the chief executive to brief them on strategic
information. Review the organization chart, last year’s
final report, the strategic plan, this year’s budget, and the
employee’s policies and procedure manual if they did not get one
already). In the same meeting, explain the performance review
procedure and provide them a copy of the performance review document.
4. When the new chief executive begins employment (or before
if possible), introduce them in a meeting dedicated to introducing
the new chief executive. If the organization is small
enough, have all staff attend and introduce themselves. If the
organization is larger, invite all managers to the meeting and
have each manager introduce themselves.
5. Ensure the new chief executive receives necessary materials
and is familiar with the facilities. Ensure an assistant
gives them keys, gets them to sign any needed benefit and tax
forms. Review the layout of offices, bathrooms, storage areas,
kitchen use, copy and fax systems, computer configuration and
procedures, telephone usage and any special billing procedures
for use of office systems.
6. Schedule any needed training, e.g., computer
training, including use of passwords, overview of software and
documentation, location and use of peripherals, and where to go
to get questions answered.
7. Review any policies and/or procedures about use of facilities.
8. Assign a board member to them as their “buddy”
who remains available to answer any questions over the next four
weeks.
9. Have someone take them to lunch on their first day of
work and invite other staff members along.
10. During the first six weeks, have one-on-one meetings
(face-to-face or over the telephone) with the new chief executive,
to discuss the new employee’s transition into the organization,
hear any pending issues or needs, and establish a working relationship
with the new chief executive.
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Vast majority of content in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Evaluating the Chief Executive
In addition to the articles on this current page, see the following blogs which have posts related to Evaluating the Chief Executive. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog.
The following is one sample form that might be used by the Board to evaluate the Chief Executive. This sample should be customized to the particular culture and purpose of the agency by modifying the performance criteria (in the following table) as appropriate for the organization, inserting those criteria in the table below, and conducting the evaluation using the updated table.
2. Board, working with the Chief Executive, establishes performance criteria and inserts them in the table below. References organizational goals and the Chief Executive’s job description.
3. The Board assigns specific weighing factors for each of the major categories below. Factors depend on what the Board believes should be priorities for the Chief Executive during the evaluation period. The factors should total 100%. Example weightings might be finances 15%, revenue 20%, human resources 15%, products/programs 20%, facilities 10%, planning and governance 20%.
4. Each Board member and the Chief Executive completes the table below about the Chief Executive’s performance during the evaluation period. Each criteria is ranked from 1-5, with 1=unsatisfactory, 2 = partially within expectations, 3=meets expectations, 4=exceeds expectations, and 5= far exceeds expectations. This numerical ranking system tends to give perspective more than commentary. Rankings with commentary is ideal.
5. Multiply each ranking by the category’s weighting factor. Put the answer in the score column.
6. On a separate sheet of paper, provide any commentary that addresses rankings below 3. Consider adding commentary for high ratings as well.
7. Provide evaluation sheet and commentary to the Board member who is assigned to collate the sheets (usually the Board Chair).
8. The Board may decide to provide the Chief Executive an average ranking for each category. Similarly, commentary can be summarized or each comment provided to the Chief Executive.
9. The evaluation committee provides the evaluation report to the Chief Executive and schedules a meeting with him or her shortly thereafter.
10. Ensure the meeting is update and ends on a positive note.
11. Ensure plans are made to address ratings below 3, including specific actions by specific dates.
Sample Basic Form for Evaluating Chief Executive
Directions for use of this form are included on the previous page.
Name of Preparer
Ratings
Weight
Factor
= Score
Finances, consider:
· No loss of operating funds; no prolonged legal difficulties · Develops realistic budgets and stays within them
· Raises enough revenue to accomplish significant program goals and maintains or builds a financial balance keeping with organizational policy Comments:
Human Resources, consider:
· Maintains or increases productivity of staff
· Maintains sufficient and effective volunteer corps (nonprofits)
· No undue staff turnover; no ongoing personnel complaints Comments:
Products/Programs, consider:
· Maintains or expands programs per plans · Program evaluations demonstrate effectiveness
· Meets yearly program goals and objectives Comments:
Facilities, consider:
· Maintains professional surroundings and safe working environment Comments:
Planning and Governance, consider:
· Has in place a clear mission statement and strategic plan
· Maintains an active Board that provide good governance to the organization Comments:
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Vast majority of content in this topic applies to for-profits and nonprofits. This book also covers this topic.
The following table can be used by all board members and the chief executive to get an impression of how well the board is doing. The table is a rather basic form for board evaluation. But, if the evaluation is conducted wholeheartedly, the form should indicate how the board is generally doing in conducting its role.
Each member and the chief executive should complete the form about four weeks before a board retreat. Members attach suggestions about how the board could get higher ratings for any or all of the following 14 considerations.
Ideally, someone outside the organization receives the completed forms, collates the results and write a report indicating the number of respondents who rated the board for each of the 12 considerations.
Considerations
5
Very
Good
4
Good
3
Ave.
2
Fair
1
Poor
1
board has full and common understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a board
2
board members understand the organization’s mission and its products / programs
3
structural pattern (board, officers, committees, executive and staff) is clear
4
board has clear goals and actions resulting from relevant and realistic strategic planning
5
board attends to policy-related decisions which effectively guide operational activities of staff
6
board receives regular reports on finances/budgets, products/program performance and other important matters
7
board helps set fundraising goals and is actively involved in fundraising (nonprofit-specific)
8
board effectively represents the organization
to the community
9
board meetings facilitate focus and progress
on important organizational matters
10
board regularly monitors and evaluates progress toward strategic goals and product/ program performance
11
board regularly evaluates and develops the chief executive
12
board has approved comprehensive personnel policies which have been reviewed by a qualified professional
13
each member of the board feels involved and interested in the board’s work
14
all necessary skills, stakeholders and diversity
are represented on the board
Please list the three to five points on which you believe the board should focus its attention in the next year. Be as specific as possible in identifying these points.
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Evaluating the Chief Executive
In addition to the articles on this current page, see the following blogs which have posts related to Evaluating the Chief Executive. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog.
Evaluating the Chief Executive is a primary responsibility of the Board. There are several key benefits from this evaluation, including that the process:
1. Ensures the Board is meeting its duty to effectively lead the organization
2. Ensures organizational goals are being met
3. Ensures continued development of the Chief Executive to more effectively conduct his or her role
4. Ensures a formal and documented evaluation process that meets standards of fairness and practicality
5. Ensures the Chief Executive values his or her role, is benefiting from it and therefore is more likely to stay (finding good Chief Executives is increasingly difficult)
6. Leaves written record of the Board’s impression of the Chief Executive’s performance in case this record is needed for future verification, e.g., for salary increases, probationary activities, firing, etc.
One Process to Evaluate the Chief Executive
A Sample Schedule
Note that, more important than doing an evaluation at a certain scheduled time, is doing an evaluation at all, so do the evaluation when the Board believes is the best time for its members.
Activity:
Approx. # of months before
start of next fiscal year
Evaluate the Chief Executive, by referencing his or her progress towards last fiscal year’s organizational goals and responsibilities on their job description
10
Board self-evaluation
9
Board retreat to address results of Board self-evaluation, conduct any team building and begin strategic planning
7
Strategic planning to produce organizational goals and identify resources needed to accomplish the goals
7
Establish Chief Executive’s goals for the next fiscal year, by referencing goals produced from strategic planning
6
Establish next year’s revenue goals and budget by referencing resources needed to reach strategic goals
6
Meets revenue goals
6
Fiscal year begins
0
Special Considerations
1. Don’t worry about specifics of the process as much as being sure that the evaluation is conducted yearly.
2. Be sure the process is fully documented in a procedure so the process is well understood and carried out consistently year to year.
3. If staff members are involved in evaluation of the Chief Executive, be sure this procedure is clearly specified and understood by the Chief Executive.
4. The evaluation should be carried out by a Board committee, not by one Board member. Committees might be the Executive Committee, a Personnel Committee or an ad hoc committee.
5. If the Board perceives the Chief Executive to have performance issues, Board members can initiate an evaluation. DO NOT initiate evaluations only when there are perceived issues — this is abusive. Be sure these perceptions are based on seen behaviors rather than on personality characteristics.
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
General Guidelines for Evaluating Boards of Directors (For-Profit and Nonprofit)
Board Members Legally Responsible for Effective Boards
Board members are accountable to their constituents to ensure that their organization (for example, for-profit or nonprofit corporation) is indeed effectively working toward its legally specified purpose, as specified in its charter document. It is not unusual for members of a Board to fall into the same old way of doing things, an approach that becomes quite stale and even ineffective. One of the ways to quickly identify this problem is for the Board to conduct a self-evaluation.
Strong Reasons and Benefits for Regular Board Evaluations
Many times, Board members do not know what they do not know about their own Board. For example, they might be terribly ineffective because they all have fallen into a rut in their operations — and they have not even realized it. Or, they might have gotten side-tracked into attending to certain urgent matters (for example, the latest crisis reported by the Chief Executive Officer), and are ignoring very important matters (for example, strategic planning that would have avoided those crises altogether).
Board members who claim that they do not need evaluation and Board training are like obese people who claim that they do not need advice about eating because, after all, they are already experts at eating. Experienced and highly effective Board members have learned that it’s critical to regularly conduct short, practical evaluations of the quality of their Board operations and then to attend to the results of those evaluations during the year. Evaluations need not take a long time — many times, even 15 minutes a year from each Board member to complete a short questionnaire, followed by half an hour to discuss results, can be transformational for a Board.
Timing to Do a Board Evaluation
A Board should evaluate its operations at least once a year. Don’t wait until new members have learned more about the Board — that’s like waiting until you feel fine before seeing the doctor.
A very useful time for evaluation is early in the strategic planning process. Results of the evaluation can be included as strategic goals in the organization’s strategic plan
Wide Variety of Board Evaluation Tools
Below, is a list of a variety of free Board self-evaluation tools. Aim to select a tool that asks at least as much about the actual occurrence of activities on your Board as about how members feel about the Board. It’s good practice to have a small team of Board members, for example, a Board Governance Committee, review and select the best tool.
How to Use Board Evaluation Tools
It’s often best if each Board member completes a tool on his/her own, rather than together in a group. Otherwise, any problems they have in their Board meetings are carried into how they do the Board evaluations, as well.
It’s also best if each member can provide anonymous input to the evaluation questionnaire. Boards can often get much more honest feedback that way.
Results of the evaluation should be included in a Board Development Plan. The status of the implementation of that Plan should be a topic on the agenda of each Board meeting.
Guidelines for Selecting Tools to Evaluate Your Board
There are a wide variety of available tools for evaluating a Board of Directors. However, it’s very important that the tool, for example, the questionnaire, you select matches the culture of the people who will respond to the questions, as well as the purpose of your Board evaluation.
For example, some cultures consider questions that start with “why” to be disrespectful, while others consider questions about feelings to be disrespectful. Thus, you should always acculturate the questions in your tool. Here are guidelines to do that. How to Acculturate Tools for Evaluations
If you plan to select from among an already available set of tools, then here are some overall guidelines for doing that. They are excerpted from the book that is listed at the top of the document. How to Select from Among Public Data Collection Tools
Sample Procedures for Board Members to Self-Evaluate
These forms are used by each Board member to evaluate the quality of their own personal participation in the Board, rather than evaluating the Board as a whole.
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to This Topic
In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to This Topic
In addition to the articles on this current page, also see
the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan
down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section
“Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click
on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The
blog also links to numerous free related resources.
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been
selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
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