Dr. Ted Flickinger IAPD Executive Director

I've heard professionals say, so-and-so has a good board and that's why they get things done in their community. So, what makes a board "good?"

Characteristics of a Good Board

• No one dominates the board
No single board member should dominate the board. Everyone has an equal opportunity on the board. Even the president does not dominate the board. Everybody should have a chance to express an opinion. Everyone has a vote.

• Board members make decisions and solve problems as a group
Board members collectively arrive at decisions. It is a collective decision; it's a democratic process whereby the majority rules. Once a decision is made, you have to accept that decision as a board member. One of the "Cardinal Rules" of boardmanship is that there are no surprises. You should never surprise the director, and the director should never surprise you.

Likewise, the board collectively solves problems. You need people who possess characteristics of being good problem-solvers.

• Be open-minded
A board member should listen to fellow board members and their views on different subjects. Being open-minded and having good listening skills is an attribute for board members.

• Be willing to compromise
Are board members willing to compromise? Are they willing to be a full participant in the process and not just vote "yes" or "no" on an issue, but become involved in resolutions to problems and participating in the full process?

• Show interest in your community
A board member should be interested in the community as a whole and not a certain segment or ethnic group of the community over another. They should be consistent and fair. They should be objective on all the issues.

They must be accountable. Just as important, a board member should not tell people how they are going to vote prior to going into a meeting. You have to be accountable on every issue that comes up, otherwise you're abdicating your responsibilities.

• Build relationships
Work at building relationships with fellow board members. Boardmanship is about positive relationships and interacting together as a group to advance the agency and its mission.

• Be receptive to public input
After all, the citizens have put you in your position as a board member and you need to be accountable to them. You need to listen to them. You are a sounding-board for your residents.

• Focus on long-range planning
One of the most important responsibilities of a board member is to get involved in long-range planning. I've always said that board members who are involved in strategic planning, comprehensive or long-range planning don't have time to micro-manage. They are concerned with the goals of the agency. How those goals are achieved by the executive is the executive's responsibility. Board members are concerned with what is achieved, and how well goals were achieved.

• Pledge to become educated
An uneducated board member can be a dangerous board member. Not knowing the issues, not knowing trends and problems certainly has an effect on making policy.

• Work with the executive director
Don't try to work around or above the executive. Work with executives to accomplish the goals of the organization.

• Learn job duties
I think it's important that right from the very beginning that fellow board members sit down with a new

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board member and say: "This is our job description," "Here's what we're all about," "Here's how we make policy and here's how policy is implemented by the executive." In addition, there are ethical practices: how we react to one another, how we treat staff, and how we conduct meetings, to name a few.

• Develop a unifying purpose
To develop a unifying purpose, you must work together as a unit, as a group. You're unified and you're showing that unity to the community. That's very important in your public relations program, as well.

• Develop a sense of camaraderie on the board
Be optimistic. Be confident. Create opportunities. Learn to work together as a team.

• Constantly look for ways to improve
Be proud of the fact that you are a board member and are making an outstanding contribution, but don't rest on your laurels. You constantly can improve your services.

• Be careful of bias
Be careful not to be biased and weigh personal beliefs against legal realities.

• Make decisions based, on facts
Watch for making emotional decisions without having all the facts. Get the facts and speak from your mind and not from your heart on different issues.

Characteristics of a Good Chief Executive

A good board must have a good leader in the agency executive. Here are several examples of what executives can do for the board.

• Keep them well informed
One of the most important tasks for an executive to do is to keep the board informed. Board members want to hear about the successes, not just the failures. Keep them posted on the successes. If you want them to advocate for the agency, then you need to keep them informed not only of the problems, but putting emphasis on the successes helps them to become an advocate.

• Budget for training
You need to assist your board members in their duties and responsibilities and that means making sure there is money in the budget to send them to workshops and seminars so they can network with others and learn about their roles, responsibilities, issues and trends. They're making decisions about millions of dollars of the taxpayers money. It is the executive's responsibility to educate the board members by providing a policy manual, a training program, retreats and supporting outside educational opportunities offered by IAPD.

• Publicly support your board members
The executive must support the board's actions. When the decision might not be one that you like, but you must go along with their decision. If you think it's wrong, you need to express to them why you think it's wrong and document those reasons. Advise your staff about criticizing board decisions among themselves or in the public. This creates negativism and bad relationships.

• Don't involve the board in day-to-day activity
If you want your board to stay out of day-to-day operations and not micro-manage, then don't ask for advice on every problem. If you ask for their advice on every problem, believing that your are keeping the board informed and involved in decisions, they then want to be involved in all the decisions.

• Know your board members
Understand your board's thinking, their philosophy, and what's important to them. What are the "sacred cows?" Board members change. That's why communication, retreats, workshops, state and national conferences help in networking and building relationships.

• Don't create a "we" versus "them" attitude
I tell board members to never take the attitude with the staff that its "we" and "them." The same applies to the executive. Once you do that, the relationships are broken down. Similarly, the executive should not side with just a few board members. They might be the majority at this time, but, in another year or two, that majority might change. Your actions could come back to haunt you.

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