Ten Commandments for working with a board of directors—podcast edition

I really appreciated the opportunity to sit down with Patton McDowell to talk about nonprofit leadership. Specifically, Patton and I discussed my “ten commandments” for an Executive Director working with a board of directors.

As I say on the podcast:

“The dynamic between the nonprofit executive and the volunteer board can be the strangest employment situation in the professional world.”

I think that’s definitely true. How many bosses do you have—1? 5? 17? 0? If you’re unfamiliar with it, it can be a strange experience.

I was so glad to unpack my “commandments” with Patton. Some are clear—”Don’t fudge the numbers!” but some will be very useful if you haven’t thought about it already (One of my favorites: “Never surprise your board president at a meeting.”)

We also discuss some ideas for a nonprofit director to grow their organization.

I hope you’ll check it out.

Thanks again, Patton, for having me on the show!

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Erik is an absolute joy to work with. He took the time to understand our organization and board dynamics weeks before the retreat and gave everyone the opportunity to voice their thoughts on retreat priorities and objectives. He even made time to talk to any staff or board member one-on-one, anonymously, to be sure that any behind-the-scenes concerns would be addressed. At the retreat itself, he was an excellent facilitator that helped us to lead ourselves through our visioning and next-step process. His recommendations came from deep experience and helped us to streamline and reimagine how we operate both logistically and in service of our mission. I can’t recommend him enough.

~ Asa Dean

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