Articles about the Relationship Model™

Question:  Some of our Board members are criticizing our Executive Director far too much.  He has barely completed his first year, and already there is criticism for the major changes he has made.  Can you help me with some reasons to give our Board as to why they should follow the leadership of the Executive […]

Question: The institution where I work has a long-standing tradition of having a number of staff members on the Board of Directors. Recently this has caused some hard feelings within the staff, because someone got a promotion that we thought someone else deserved. Some of us think it happened because staff members who are also […]

Question:  We seem to have an “old guard” and “new blood” on our board.  It’s obviously just a matter of time before the power shifts to the new members who want to breathe new life into the Board and the whole organization.  I think this is unnecessary pain we’re going through.  How should a Board […]

Think back to that discussion that went so badly in a board meeting.  Afterwards, you mentioned to someone that you didn’t agree with the decision of the board.  Your fellow board member said that she didn’t either.  She told you that she voted in favor of the motion because there was so much pressure.  You […]

Have you ever had the experience of your Board being very divided on an issue because the members couldn’t agree on the truth about something.  It happens particularly often in matters where someone’s personal behaviour is part of the issue.  What is reality?  The perceptions vary among the Board members, so it is very difficult […]

As a consultant in the governance of not-for-profit organizations and churches I am often invited to assist organizations because of some conflict within that is preventing progress and healthy functional relationships. In my experience there are almost always three elements to these conflicts, all three of which must be dealt with in order to bring […]

This is the second in a two-part article on the competencies required in successful Board members.  What are competencies? And which competencies are required for board membership?  In this two-part article we will answer those two questions. Competencies are the predispositions or characteristics that one observes in a successful candidate for a given position, in […]

Perhaps you can recall or imagine the common scenario that repeats itself year after year when a board seeks to recruit nominees for elected to the Board of Directors of an organization. The effort may be late in beginning, perhaps because there is no formal process for developing a list of nominees on an ongoing […]

Question:  The Board of Directors for which I work is making a transition from a managing board to a governing board, but I think they are just managing in a different way.  Could you tell me the difference between monitoring my management and managing over my shoulder?  The line between the two seems a little […]

In the course of my work in many countries I get a lot of questions, but one that overlaps all the borders I cross is this one.  If you are asking the same one, I hope this answer will help. Question: Our Executive Director’s Administrative Assistant recently took over the role of taking board minutes […]