GET ON BOARD

The Survey Says ...

More About What a Board Looks For in an Executive Director

Last issue, I analyzed the answers to four questions of a survey that I give to boards that are looking for an executive director. I have conducted 81 director searches in the last nine years, and this questionnaire helps me - and helps them — determine their expectations, as well as the desired qualities and characteristics of their new director. I've recently analyzed the surveys from all 81 searches to look for trends or even individual cases that might be of interest to you. Here are my thoughts on the answers to four more questions from the survey.

Please describe the board/director relationship

I am pleased to see that a number of responses to this question indicate an appropriate understanding of the work roles of the board and the director:

•  "The board sets and approves policy, and the director oversees day-to-day operations and executes the policies."

•  "Policy issues belong to the board, and staffing/operational issues belong to the director, but both act as guidance to one another on all of these issues."

•  "The director works for the board. He or she is the link between board and the staff. The director3 deals with personnel issues."

• "The board should provide direction, and the director should execute."

Beyond these well-defined organizational boundaries, many board members hope that the relationship between the board and the director is cordial and fair and is marked by trust and respect. "It should be friendly and supportive both ways," wrote one commissioner. Another wrote that it should be a "relationship of sharing, team effort, partnership."

Much of the director's role in an effective meeting takes place well before the group gets gaveled to order.

Describe an effective board meeting. What is the director's role in a meeting?

Board members feel that much of the director s role in an effective meeting takes place well before the group gets gaveled to order. As I alluded to in my last column, thorough, well-organized board packets are key. At the meeting, commissioners are looking for an executive director who can "lead the discussion on all important issues" and "get to everything that needs to be discussed." But boards aren't looking for a ramrod. The most frequent answer to this question is something along the lines of: "The executive director should be able to answer the board's questions and offer advice."

Given the fast-paced nature of the day-to-day operations of Illinois park and recreation agencies, executive directors rightfully pride themselves on

Close votes don't represent crisis points or moments of personal attack. Instead, they represent an exchange of good ideas and the triumph of a civil, democratic process.

September/October 2006 page 6

their ability to do the long-range planning, as well as put out the fires that seem to pop up every week. But executive directors who regard the monthly board meeting as an extremely high priority prepare excellent written materials for the board before the meeting and carve out time to prepare themselves to answer any questions that might arise during the meeting. These executive directors provide a huge service to their agencies, their boards and their careers.

What will you do if the director is opposed to a position you are taking on an issue?

This question strikes a little closer to the heart of the board/director relationship. Over the years, answers have ranged from: "Compromise. A board member can't win every batde," to "Get board member support; it's the board who makes the final decisions." Both of these answers are, of course, correct. Not every board member gets his or her way on every issue, and naturally a board majority carries the day.

Notice, however, the tone of these two correct answers. The first statement implies someone who may be a bit too quick to defer to the expertise of the director, while the second answer could indicate a "my way or the highway" kind of personality.

I'm much more encouraged by answers such as these:

• "Ask many questions to understand the director's position."

• "Share concerns."

• "Go over pros and cons."

• "Seek private discussion if I still don't understand."

• "Communicate as much as possible."

A smoothly working board isn't one in which the members and the director think and feel the same way about each issue that comes before it. A truly effective board is one that handles potentially divisive matters in a professional, open-minded fashion. The board member who seeks a private discussion is one who is more interested in arriving at good policy than in grandstanding before the public at the Tuesday night park board meeting.

Board members who want to examine pros and cons or share concerns are ones who are interested in trying out options that are different than their own initial position. This doesn't mean that they will abandon their position, but this does mean that they are willing to understand how and why the director may hold a belief different from their own. The board and the director who are willing to mull over ideas from one another's points of view build empathy for each other. For these boards, close votes don't represent crisis points or moments of personal attack. Instead, they represent an exchange of good ideas and the triumph of a civil, democratic process.

What are the very best ways you could personally help the new director to be successful?

Over the years responses to this question have included:

•  "Be available to answer any questions.

•  "Provide clear and concise communication."

•  "Let him or her know exactly what is expected right away."

•  "Let him or her learn on their own, but be there for questions."

•  "Provide them with enough time to adjust and make changes."

Even though the answers may appear to contradict (as in "Let him or her know exactly what is expected right away" and "Let him or her learn on their own") I've never run into a bad answer to this question.

Partly that's because I ask this question with an ulterior motive. It's natural to assume that an employer (in this case the board) should expect the employee (in this case the executive director) to get oriented, dig in, get to work and make good things happen. But I put this question on the survey largely to remind boards that their responsibility to make a good hire doesn't end when the contract is signed. A board needs to help the new executive make a smooth transition into the agency and set the new director on a course to success.

IAPD Calendar

Summer Golf Tour Event #4
Steeplechase Golf Course
Mundelein Park & Recreation
District
Presenting Sponsor: WT
Engineering
Event Sponsor: Park and
Recreation Supply, Inc./Team Reil

October 10-14

NRPA Congress Seattle, Washington

November 2

Legal Symposium McDonald's University Oak Brook, IL

January 25-27, 2007

IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference Hyatt Regency - Chicago

www.ILparks.org September/October 2006 7