Who’s the Boss? The Board or the Executive?
There is an abundance of advice for nonprofit boards and EDs that speaks to the advantages of “partnership” and “open communications.” But sometimes that advice just doesn’t feel like enough.
The key is remembering that the board is different from board members.
Who’s the boss? The board or the executive director/CEO?
The answer: It depends on whether the board is acting as a body, or whether board members are acting as individuals. The key is remembering that the board is different from board members.
It’s not the board president who hires the executive director; only the board as a whole can do that. The treasurer doesn’t approve the budget; the board as a whole does that. In other words, when the board is acting as a body, it is the boss. The executive is answerable to that body.
On the other hand, when board members act as individuals, they typically work at the direction of staff.
At a special event, board members show up and ask staff, “Where do you want me? The registration table? the silent auction?” The fundraising manager gives a list of five people to each board member for fundraising calls… and then checks a week later to see if they’ve been called.
Imagine a board chair walking into the executive’s office to see him sitting at his desk. “You need a better desk and chair,” she says. “The ones you have are terrible!”
The executive smiles and says, “Thank you for your advice, Madame Board Chair! But this desk and chair are fine with me.”
In this last example, a board member is giving advice (or a directive disguised as advice) as an individual. She does not speak with the authority of the full board. In contrast, if the board had voted that the executive get new furniture, he would be required to do so.
What to say back.
If you’re the executive director, you may be unintentionally confusing things.
If a board member says, “It must be hard having 13 bosses,” don’t just nod and enjoy the sympathetic gesture. Instead say, “I have 13 advisors, but luckily only one boss: The board.”
If a board member inappropriately tells you do something — such as “You can’t put X in the budget for next year!” — don’t argue. Just say cordially, “Could you send the board finance committee a note about that with a CC to me?”
If you’re a board member, send out little snippets of guidance occasionally.
For example, you might email the ED: “I’m dead set against the proposal that we change our organization’s name. But I know it’s a decision for the full board, not just mine.”
Or, at a board meeting you might say, “These are all good suggestions, but let’s allow our executive to see this discussion as advice from which she’ll make a decision.”
This simple clarification — that the board is the boss but board members are not — goes a long way towards clearing up confusion and tension.
By reinforcing this notion whenever you can, you will help your board and executive a great deal.
You might also like:
- Innovative Leadership — Culture Doesn’t Have to Eat Strategy: Tending to Human Factors During Strategic Planning
- Insider Newsletters: An Easy Way to Keep Your Board in the Loop and Engaged
- Board Horror Stories: How to Reduce Board Resignations
- Five Years and Growing: How One Nonprofit Built a Sustainable, Collaborative Mission
- Measure What You Value: Designing a Values-based Performance Appraisal System
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About the Author
Jan is a former editor of Blue Avocado, former executive director of CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, and has sat in on dozens of budget discussions as a board member of several nonprofits. With Jeanne Bell and Steve Zimmerman, she co-authored Nonprofit Sustainability: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability, which looks at nonprofit business models.
Articles on Blue Avocado do not provide legal representation or legal advice and should not be used as a substitute for advice or legal counsel. Blue Avocado provides space for the nonprofit sector to express new ideas. The opinions and views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect or imply the opinions or views of Blue Avocado, its publisher, or affiliated organizations. Blue Avocado, its publisher, and affiliated organizations are not liable for website visitors’ use of the content on Blue Avocado nor for visitors’ decisions about using the Blue Avocado website.
25 thoughts on “Who’s the Boss? The Board or the Executive?”
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This is extremely helpful. Thank you.
Nice examples! Very clear. Thank you.
Smart and simple – I like it!
This is really interesting. Great read. It leads me to ask the question I have been struggling with recently – what can or should happen when a Board member acting as an individual is abusive to a staff member. Unfortunately, the ED is not a resource so the staff member doesn’t feel safe sharing this with the ED. Is there any course of action/protection?
Anyone who is experiencing abusive behavior should speak out, and the ED is the obvious choice for the person who would take this matter up. Assuming there is not another course of action specified in the personnel handbook, the staff member should put the problem in writing to the ED first, and then document the response (or lack of response) to the chair of the board. By taking these steps the staff member will have gone through channels, but has documentation for how to get the attention of the board if a response is not adequate.
The main principle here of course is that the staff person needs to keep going up the ladder with the complaint within the organization. If that fails, he or she should talk to an attorney about suing the organization for the abuse. Abusive behavior should not tolerated, by anyone, in any organization.
Great article.
Great article.
One of the most helpful and clearests articles of this type I’ve read. Thank you.
One of the most helpful and clearests articles of this type I’ve read. Thank you.
So very true and words of wisdom to all boards. Board members need to remember they are serving to better a community or organization not personal agendas and as a whole board not individually.
So very true and words of wisdom to all boards. Board members need to remember they are serving to better a community or organization not personal agendas and as a whole board not individually.
This is great, the roles are so easily confused which ever side of the fence you sit on.
This link is broken: “What is Micromanagement and What Isn’t?”
It takes you back to the top of the newsletter instead of the named article. Thanks.
Thank you for catching this and taking the time to let us know. It's fixed now, and here it is as well:
https://www.blueavocado.org/content/what-micromanagement-and-what-isnt
As an ED, with a board president who is unilaterally committing the organization to activities, this article really helps. I don’t think the board president really understands the lines of authority and responsibility. Thanks for a great article.
As an ED, with a board president who is unilaterally committing the organization to activities, this article really helps. I don’t think the board president really understands the lines of authority and responsibility. Thanks for a great article.
our board just voted to allow any board member and/ or the property mgr., to spend shareholder money, w/o board approval. is that even legal?
our board just voted to allow any board member and/ or the property mgr., to spend shareholder money, w/o board approval. is that even legal?
If only I had this article as a reference about four years ago.
The Board Chair of our small, fledgling organization assumed she was the boss and made the unilateral decision that the “Board” (meaning her) and I would be co-EDs. As the founder, I had the specific skills and knowledge about the work of the nonprofit (dental care for low-income children). I was more passionate and focused on accomplishing the mission of the organization and I did not have enough knowledge about the role of Boards or Board members. I was bullied, criticized, and micromanaged by a person with no knowledge or understanding of what I did. The other board members always deferred to her when I expressed my concerns. I finally withdrew from the role of “co-ED” and pleaded with the “Board” to hire an experienced ED. The Chair eventually agreed and she became the head of the hiring committee, wrote the job announcement, conducted the interviews and narrowed the field to two candidates (both were poor choices). The eventual hire presented himself as an expert, but was a disaster, and ruined the relationships I had cultivated and the credibility of the organization. He forbid me to contact the Board without his oversight and misrepresented what he actually did. I quit. Fortunately, he later revealed his true colors and was asked to leave. A new ED, who was actually experienced, was hired and has since enabled the organization to flourish.
All new nonprofit boards, founders, and EDs should put this article in their must-read folder.
Very helpful information
In my area, we have just seen two arts nonprofits lose executive directors. One also lost its artistic leader, a conductor that brought the group national acclaim. In both cases, new Board members expressed that they wanted to “take back” the organizations from staff.
One of these organizations replaced the Executive Director with a personal friend of the Board Chair, a woman with no experience in nonprofits and no experience in the arts. The new ED was told that finances weren’t her business — the Board would handle the money. The organization’s income dropped by 20% and the new ED resigned four months later.
The scary part? These Board members are former members of the Board of the Corcoran Gallery. Yeah, that’s right — the people who killed DC’s oldest art gallery. Talk about ‘red flags’! Why would any Board member vote to have these people join their Board? Because they have $$? Because they socialize together?
Good articles here. I have worked with various nonprofits for about 10 years in different capacities. Last one was an Executive Secretary to the Trust, so managed the office. Truth was that, initial person I took over from never left and was put on the Management Committee. She bullied me and set me up several. For 22 months, I worked tirelessly and never was confirmed. She also has staff loyal to her and I never had my ideas fly. Long run, I was given a letter of termination which I refused to accept. All the while the Chair knew, but they are friends. What do I do knowing my career is on the line?