Lonely At the Top:

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Lonely At the Top
Dr. Ken Haycock 2006

• The Role of the Board Chair

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Board Effectiveness

• Three Core Board Functions
• Set strategic directions (BHAG)
• Hire/evaluate the CEO to implement 1
• Ensure monitoring and auditing of implementation
  and outcomes (the what, not the how)
• Start with the end in mind

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Three Core Chair Functions?

• Effective and efficient Board governance,
  including structure, work plans and meetings
• Supervision of the CEO
• Public face of the Board and system
• politician to politician

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Board/Chair Effectiveness

• Know The Board Context
• Mission, Vision, Values and Purpose
• Board Role and Structure
• Board Profile Chair Profile
• Board/Community Relationships
• Ethics and Integrity
• Recruitment and Succession Management

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Good Governance

• Vision planning the future
• Destination goals and road map
• Resources to achieve goals/CEO
• Monitoring progressing
• Accountability auditing efficiency reporting
• Institute on Governance

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Board Chair Position Profile

• You want to leave your footprint.
• You thrive in complex environments. You are
  respectful of individual differences while
  committed to quality and moving the system and
  your team forward.
• You take the broad view you seek to position the
  library as an agent for community development.
• Passionate, articulate, committed, accountable
  you welcome the opportunity to interact with
  community leaders and representatives to tell the
  library's story and to connect political and
  social agendas. You are comfortable with parents
  groups and the chamber of commerce.
• Ideally, you are experienced in your community's
  affairs and see building community assets by
  focusing, repositioning and leveraging the
  librarys resources for the good of all.

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Job Characteristics

• Lead
• Train
• Accept the challenges
• Act for more than individual good
• Integrity
• Delegate
• Spokesperson

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Personal Attributes

• Attitude positive, can-do
• Accountability board assets and weaknesses
• Individual and group dynamics building
  relationships dignity egos
• Facilitation guide and help to find answers
  effective meetings

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Keys to Board/Chair Success

• Strong board and staff leadership
• Positive working relationship with CEO
• Role clarity
• Agreement on values, mission, objectives
• Respect for norms, policies, teamwork
• Good board development practices
• Regular assessment board CEO library
• High level of trust low level of conflict

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Board/Chair Success

• Constructive resolution of conflicts and
  conflicts of interest
• Balance between stability, flexibility,
  innovation and enterprise
• Consensus or near-consensus decision-making
• Effective management of meetings and board work

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Major Concerns of Boards

• Trustee liability
• Financial viability
• Adopting business-like practices while
  maintaining values
• How to add value to the organization
• Balance between policy focus and knowledge of
  operations
• Succession planning for board and staff

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Concerns

• Strengthening board orientation and training
• Developing role clarity (board and senior
  management)
• Planning/collaboration
• Improving measurement of board, CEO and
  organizational performance
• Improving communication with stakeholders

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Signs of Boards in Trouble

• Excessive turnover of CEO and trustees
• Difficult of recruitment of credible trustees
• Rapid depletion of reserve funds
• Chronic unplanned or unmanaged deficits
• Role confusion between board and CEO
• Low attendance/participation at meetings
• Poor management of meetings
• Factionalism

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Trouble

• Underground communication
• Unresolved conflict
• Failure to address conflicts of interest
• Decision deadlock
• Disrespect for organizational norms and policies
• Poor communication with funders and key
  stakeholders

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Characteristics of Chairs

• Committed, integrity (keeps word)
• Provide helpful information
• Maintain structure for boards work
• Show respect and consideration
• Facilitate interactions
• Speak with one voice
• Evaluate the organization
• Control management's job without meddling

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Chair Training Responsibilities (in order of
importance)

• Funding
• Maintaining integritylegal ethical financial
• Role of the CEO/director with the board
• Board authority
• Effective meetings
• Goal-setting

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Chair Training Responsibilities 2

• Policy-making, development
• Board organization and structure
• Relationships with council/city hall
• Determining mission and purpose
• Evaluating the director
• Role of the chair
• Monitor and evaluate

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Chair Training Responsibilities 3

• Performance measures for the CEO/director
• Hiring the director
• Trustee recruitment, selection., retention
• Planning processes
• Relationships with community groups
• Succession planning

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Chair Training Responsibilities 4

• Enhancing public standing for the Board
• Auditing finances
• Role of the councillor on the board
• Fundraising
• Management reviews
• Supervising the director

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Chair Training Responsibilities 5

• Relationship with the business community
• Friends groups/volunteers (with CEO)
• Dealing with the media (with the CEO)

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In Summary

• Board Governance/Structures
• Policy and Planning Strategic Planning Annual
  Goals and Objectives
• Roles and Relationships CEO Municipality
  Community Groups
• CEO Performance
• Finance and Fund-raising
• Monitoring/Auditing
• Board Assessment/Profile and Renewal

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Training Responsibilities
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Compared to other trustees

• Chairs are
• More concerned about policy development,
  evaluating board performance, supervising the
  director, provincial library services, history of
  libraries and boards
• Less concerned about effective meetings, board
  organization and structure, the role of the
  councillor, school and public library
  relationships, building a new library

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Consider

• Community developmentconnect agendas and lead
• Demonstrate valuegtpublic good
• Right people around the table doing the right
  things with critical respect
• Relationships/CEO/Municipality/Power Bases
• Use staff appropriately
• Develop strong brand
• Evidence-based decision-making

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Bottom Line

• An effective library requires an effective board
• An effective board requires both an effective CEO
  and an effective chair
• You are accountable for making this happen

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To your success

• Sometimes you feel awkward about asking a
  question
• Sometimes there isnt time
• Sometimes you think about something later
• Dr. Ken Haycock
• ken_at_kenhaycock.com
• 604.925.0266