Harnessing the Power of the ED and Board Chair Relationship

The relationship between a nonprofit Executive Director (ED) and Board Chair is a unique one, which is why they should have their own “training day.” Find out how setting time aside to work together one-on-one can benefit the organization they both serve!

If you’re a sports fan, you probably understand what I mean when a refer to the concept of a training day but let me offer a story from many years ago to provide some broader context. When my daughter was just a teenager, I arrived at her fastpitch softball practice. I looked around and she was nowhere in sight. I came to realize she’d been right in front of me the whole time, but she was covered in catcher’s gear so I didn’t even realize it was her. I soon learned from the coach that both the starting and back-up catchers were unavailable for the weekend tournament. So, they asked my daughter if she would be the catcher because they felt she had the best ability to command the field. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but she did great! Fast forward to a month later and the catching gear remained, but it had been adjusted to fit better. She grew into being a good backup catcher and, although it wasn’t her permanent position, it was a great learning experience for her that she carried into her college softball playing days.

Through this experience I started understanding that being a catcher is more than just catching the ball behind the plate. The catcher is a leader (calling plays on the field) and a key strategic partner with the pitcher (in leading the game and the team).
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Behind every good pitcher is a good catcher – someone who has a certain way about her to mentally and physically help and challenge her pitcher. A pitcher who knows to respect and trust her catcher’s instincts while being direct about what she needs from her catcher is often the key to winning. The same can be said about the Board Chair and ED relationship!

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Strengthening the ED & Board Chair Relationship
In a May 2014 Softball Excellence newsletter, legendary softball coach, Cindy Bristow, talked about the 8 ways for catchers to make their pitchers better. Her lessons also provide rich advice on how ED’s can help make their Board Chair better—and vice versa!

1. A Zombie Free Bull-Pen – Make every interaction together count. Whether you’re practicing for a big meeting or a big ask or providing your monthly one-on-one update, walk through everything on a professional level or work it as if it’s the real game. If your Board Chair is going down the wrong path in how they are prepping or thinking, speak up. You can make it a soft toss and still hit the corners with examples of potential challenges or questions that may arise or new information they need to hear. 
   
   
2. Catch for Them All - The ED may be primarily focused on the Board Chair, but they can’t ignore the other board members. Establish relationships with all your board members—you never know when one of them may be your new Board Chair or when you’ll need to call on one to lead a specific project for you. The success of each board member equates to your success.
   
   
3. Tell Them What They Need to Hear – This tends to be the hardest part and where most leaders struggle. We want to be nice, and be liked, and therefore find it hard to be honest with what others really need to hear. But your job as ED is to ensure the advancement of your organization and the success of everyone on the team, including your Board Chair. When your remarks are positioned about common goals – advancing the mission or calling the right donor pitch – then it’s about helping your Chair be the best they can be.  A relationship centered on trust should allow each person in the relationship to feel confident enough to speak constructively and honestly without fear of potential retaliation.
   
   
4. Tell Them How They Need to Hear It – Understanding the style of your Board Chair means knowing how best to communicate with them so you’re heard and understood. Is your board chair bottom line? Then you better get to the point quickly when you meet or present material. Or is your board chair extroverted? Chances are you’ll chat socially before getting to the heart of the discussion. Communicating is a process of ensuring your message gets across to others such that action is taken.  In other words, it’s about them, not you!
   
   
5. Help Your Defense Play Their Best - Sometimes, no matter what you do, things don’t always go the way you hope. When it happens, Board Chairs can lose confidence in the direction the organization is going, or the decisions being made by the ED. So, keep communication open both ways and evaluate what’s going on together, adjust where needed, and get back mentally into your game.
   
   
6. Call The Best Chance for Good – As ED, you have the lay of the land of your sector.  Core volunteers or donors may be putting a bug in the Board Chair’s ear, but you’re the one who’s on the front-line, interacting with a variety of clients and stakeholders to know what decisions and directions make most sense. Make certain you’re communicating with your key stakeholders so there are few, if any, sideline conversations. This helps to ensure everyone is aligned and your Board Chair and Board can make the best decisions that need to be made.
   
   
7. Be the Ump’s Almost BFF—Your stakeholders are the umpire. They are the ones who can ultimately call you “out” if they don’t like what they see happening with the organization. So, together with your Board Chair, full board, and team ensure you’re treating all key stakeholders with the level of respect you would retreat any close friend.
   
   
8. Go See Them – Get to know each other!  Being Board Chair, like an ED, can be a lonely position. Yes, there are officers of the Board, but the ED has a “hooked-at-the-hip” relationship with the Chair and can tell if the Chair is struggling or in need of additional information or simply wants to chat. There are many reasons to reach out and connect. Take the time to get to know your Board Chair on a personal level to establish trust and deepen your relationship.

Now that you know how to work well together, you need to set aside time to actually do it!

Planning a Spring Training Day
Pitchers and catchers are called to spring training early so they can work on their relationship. Boards tend to have their own “spring training” sessions called off-site meetings or retreats. Why not set aside an extra day or two for the ED and Board Chair to retreat and work on their relationship?

There are too many stories out there about a Board Chair/ED relationship based on fear and mistrust, which only leads to an organization moving backwards rather than forward.  Let’s change that so we can better build relationships based on trust, respect and autonomy! It will ultimately make a “grand slam” of a difference in executing and achieving your organization’s game plan.

When you need nonprofit board advisory services or help organizing a leadership meeting or retreat, we can help! Our team of experienced nonprofit consultants has the experience needed to come alongside your organization’s leadership to strengthen it and prepare it for whatever is coming next. Contact us today to find out more information!

About the Author
Liz Swanson – Senior Associate, The Valtas Group

​Liz is a nonprofit professional, consultant, leader, and educator who has been serving and advancing mission-driven organizations for over 30 years. Her experiences as an Executive Director, Interim Executive Director, Development Director, Board President, and Non-Profit Consultant at a wide range of nonprofits has given her a unique perspective of the ins and outs of organizations and the challenges nonprofit leaders face. Liz is passionate about all things nonprofit and helping organizations achieve their goals towards long-term success.

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