Commissioner's Viewpoint...

by Jo Anne Baker

What is a positive Board/Staff relationship? If you don't have it, your organization can't effectively serve your community. Board/staff relationships are an internal matter you say. . . . What's that got to do with serving our constituents? Well, chicken pox is an internal matter, too, but the manifestations are very external, aren't they? So it is with your park and recreation agency. All internal workings have external manifestations—some good, some not so good.

So that we can develop healthy board/staff relationships, we need first to understand, in general terms at least, what the role of each is in our organization. Thus the following areas will be addressed:

• The role of the Board
• The role of the Staff (primarily the director or the chief administrator)
• Good Board/Staff relationship—hereinafter referred to as the Force (Together we are the Force . . . separately we are nothing ... or at least not much.) The Force, defined here, is the ability to get work done—strength—power. Stated differently—for those who like equations:

Board-Staff =0 Staff- Board = 0
Board + Staff = The Force (Strength-power-the ability to get work done)

BOARD FUNCTIONS

First, let's recognize the board's function. What is it? Here are a few important elements.

1. Hire the most competent administrator you can. You get what you pay for. Make him accountable for vigorous and enthusiastic pursuit of the goals within which your park district policies were established.

2. Establish the goals and the mission of your district. The goals and mission must be clear . . . they must be articulated both internally and externally. One role which each board member has is to articulate mission and goals to the community and bring the "feel" of your community back to the staff.

3. Evaluate your administrator according to the level of success which has been achieved in reaching your goals and fulfilling the mission of your organization. Further evaluate yourself and the board as facilitators for achieving those goals.

4. A fourth function of the board is long-range planning. "The higher the office the further one should see," Laurence J. Peter said in his book The Peter Plan. A long-range plan helps give direction to your organization. It is a tool against which you and the community can begin to measure performance and success.

5. A primary function (and perhaps this should have been listed first . . . certainly the civic league would have me place it there). . . is stewardship. We are legally and morally accountable for (1) keeping accurate financial records, (2) expending funds only according to legislatively prescribed methods, on approved programs and in accordance with community values. By legislatively prescribed, I have in mind, particularly, bidding procedures . . . but we also establish the appropriation, the budget, and the tax levy. In the case of bidding, we grant the staff permission to seek bids. The board accepts or rejects them.

6. In general, the Board makes something called policy. We are a policy-making body—not an implementing board, or as is the case in many civic organizations a fund raising board . . . although we do a bit of that if we're smart. We may be involved in seeking land donations and/or private financial support for special programs, but technically we are a policy-making board.

We make policy in many areas. I would like to present a few points of view for thoughtful consideration.

A. We should establish policy deliberately. This avoids many situations when we might do it under pressure. Pressure policy is almost always negative and weak. Policy should be enacted only after thorough discussion and concensus has been achieved. Policy setting should be a team effort. It should reflect the values of your organization and your community.

B. The fewer policies the better. Policies can be so restrictive that they stifle our ability to respond to needs of our citizen/clients. On the other hand, policies give direction to your mission. They create a common script

Illinois Parks and Recreation 8 November/December 1980

from which we all can work. They can create confidence.

C. In any event, policies should be retrievable. There should be a policy manual.

I've laid a lot of responsibility on Board members, haven't I? It would help if you were a saint!!! What, you ask, after all of that, are the privileges of a board member? Well, (1) you have the privilege of being informed of the facts of all the agenda items before you come to the meeting. . .if you don't get them, you should! (2) You have the privilege of providing both external and internal leadership by striving for a high degree of integrity, honesty, and forthrightness. (3) You have the privilege of being a member of a winning public agency team, and, lastly (4) you have the privilege of making as much or as little as you wish of your position as a commissioner/board member.

STAFF FUNCTION

As I stated previously, when I make reference to staff function, I am referring principally to the functioning of the director although certainly there are many areas in which most of this authority and responsibility is delegated downward. Generally, staff responsibilities include:

A. Providing accurate and complete information to the board so that we can make thoughtful decisions and establish viable and relevant policies.

B. Recommending specific policies to the board as well as recommending action on agenda items that require it.

C. Administering and implementing policies established by the board. The staff executes the ongoing operations and activities of your agency. The staff evaluates the district, themselves, and district programs.

D. Being responsible for the attitudes and working environment of the agency . . . including employee relations and for interpreting policies to the employees.

E. Developing and nurturing inter-agency relationships. This area is increasingly important to the effectiveness of park and recreation agencies.

F. Assuming responsibility for legal matters on a day-to-day basis.

G. Land planning, acquisition recommendations, design and develop ment are also in the purview of the administrative staff.

Jo Anne L. Baker is President of the Board of Commissioners of the Rockford Park District, member of the I.A.P.O. Board of Directors, and a consultant for park boards and various semi-public agencies.

It sounds as though commissioners/board members have delegated most of the authority and retained all of the responsibility and accountability. In many ways that's true. The secret is to let the staff do their job but make them accountable for their own performance. That's one reason you should stay out of their administrative affairs . . . don't meddle.

DEVELOP THE FORCE

"The science of developing the Force" or, how can we have improved board/staff relationships.

1. Develop a team psychology. We work in a human environment where all people feel the same emotions as you and I. We are only one member of the team, but by virtue of being part of a functioning team, we can develop a support network so that our individual ideas will receive a fair hearing. Of course, as long as you're in office, you can be "in charge" if you view your position in that way . . . but true leadership requires more . . . don't use your board membership in a narrow single-minded fashion. The team is board and staff. Remember you have no unilateral authority.

2. Demonstrate trust and respect for your staff and your fellow board members. There is no justifiable reason for public reprimand of stuff and precious little justification for encounters with your fellow board members. This kind of activity is demoralizing to all employees and again erodes the professional posture we all hope to present.

3. Work through your director, not around him. Don't issue directives to staff people. Likewise, discourage staff people from bringing administrative problems directly to you. Refer them to the director.

4. Develop clear position descriptions that outline authority and responsibility of staff members. Make them accountable. I would remind you again that they can't be held accountable if you do their work. (If you're doing their work, who's doing yours?) We should stick to policy development and let them implement it. When the board begins to encroach into staffs areas of influence, it is demoralizing to all employees and may soon become the standard of performance.

5. As a board person, don't dodge issues at board meetings. Don't develop tangential filibusters or other diversionary tactics. Have the courage to take a position. Staff deserves this. They would rather you deny their recommendation than to ignore it. They have worked hard and investigated thoroughly before making their recommendation.

6. The board should have a clear policy on what comes to the board for action . . . and what does not. (The agenda, incidentally, should be prepared in consultation with the board president.) By being clear on what comes before the board for its decision, we can prevent the possibility of the director or other staff people making the decisions which are more appropriately held by the board. It would be well for us all, however, to remember two axioms in this regard.

A. High level decisions are costly. Decisions should be made at the level the problem exists . . . assuming knowledge of the facts.

B. Delayed decisions are difficult to make ... in direct proportion to the time elapsed.

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7. As a board, we are responsible for our own members. If one of us gets out of line in relation to staff prerogatives we need to handle it at the board level. I would also say—for the benefit of the staff—that they should let us handle it.

8. Carefully orient new board members and establish a policy of employee orientation as well. There are rules to every game. There are rules to ours and board members and staff alike should be aware of them.

9. Prepare for board meetings . . . this should go without saying. . .but alas my friends, we do need to remind each other of the importance of this. Read the material which was so carefully prepared by the staff. Especially read it if it wasn't so carefully prepared.

As a final note on the science of developing the Force, and by way of summary, let me report to you on a research poll of 500 executives conducted by the Bank of America. They asked executives what traits were most important in dealing with others. The executives responded:

1. Always give your people the credit that is rightfully theirs. To do otherwise is both morally and ethically dishonest.

2. Be courteous. Have genuine consideration for other people's feelings and situations.

3. Never tamper with the truth. Never rationalize. What you might like to believe is not necessarily the truth. (Michael Vance, a proponent and teacher of creative management, says we must understand that "A" is "A," it will never be anything else no matter what we may want it to be. Incidentally, Vance taught me the value of that thing called the Force.)

4. Be concise in your writing and talking.

5. Be generous, remember that it is the productivity of others that makes possible our executive position.

Our principal topic has been board/staff relationships. Our equation is:

Board + Staff = The Force. The Force defined is strength, power, and the ability to get work done.

Our park and recreation agencies will have The Force when staff and board develop and expand a team psychology.

Illinois Parks and Recreation 10 November/December 1980