Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/managing-an-effective-board-of-directors/5024678/
*Additional photos and tables can be found in the pdf version of this article.
As an early childhood center director, I had a host of responsibilities including managing staff, children, families, and regulations, and tackling unforeseen challenges that arose on a daily basis. The last thing I wanted to add to my “to do” list was supporting my board of directors. The board members signed up for that job, they should know what to do, right?
That is how I used to feel along with many of my colleagues who ran large, complicated and demanding non-profit child care organizations. Roger Neugebauer in his article, “Why Boards Don’t Work,” listed working with a board as a major source of frustration for nonprofit center directors. Directors often think they do not have the time or energy to support the overwhelming task of assisting the board of directors. Center directors also struggle with understanding the value of the board’s work, especially when board members assign them multiple tasks and responsibilities. A colleague and talented center director remarked, “Isn’t this just giving us more things to do?”
My aha moment arrived when I realized that my board could actually add value and ...