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GET ON BOARD The Indecisive Board
"They also serve who only stand and wait," writes John Milton in one of his famous sonnets. That bit of poetic advice may be useful for those charged with making sure an agency's policies are clear and well formed before taking action. But board service is about leadership and leadership means making decisions. Boards that "only stand and wait" are not serving the way they are meant to. An agency's new policies and programs languish when boards fail to make decisions in a timely manner. Certainly, every decision that comes before a board requires thoughtful consideration. But, some boards take two to three months to make big decisions. By that time, they may have missed their window of opportunity or may have cost their agency money. When boards continue to table issues from month to month, they tend to cite such reasons as: • Poor attendance at meetings • Lack of adequate information • Decision paralysis - they are simply overwhelmed with issues In truth, the real reason for board inaction is usually plain and simple fear. Boards are, rightfully, afraid of making bad decisions. If you are dealing with board members who put off making decisions, here are some strategies that can move you from a board that only stands and waits to one that takes confident, decisive action. Make Sure Decisions Are Yours to Make Some boards get paralyzed by the sheer volume of decisions they feel they need to make. If that's the case with your board, you may need to call the IAPD to get a copy of a chart on "Who Does What," which outlines which decisions belong to the board and which belong to the executive. Boards make decisions on policy matters only. Decisions related to administering those policies fall to the executive. If you're facing an issue and wondering whether it's a policy decision, ask yourself these questions: • Will this decision help determine procedures, activities, programs or services that affect the agency as a whole? • Is this decision required by law or by a regulatory agency? • Is this an issue that the executive has asked for help with? A "yes" answer to any of these questions means that the issue calls for a board decision. If you answer "no" to all three questions, then this is an issue for the executive. To test whether you have a firm grasp of who makes what decision, take the quiz on the next page. If you and your fellow board members score poorly, it may be time for a board self-evaluation (see Illinois Parks & Recreation, March/April 2004, page 6). Trust Your Committees A strong committee system can save the board a lot of time by researching issues thoroughly and then making recommendations to the full board. There are two types of committees. Standing committees address such continuing processes as agency finances or personnel. Ad hoc committees are those formed to study a specific issue, such as the feasibility of purchasing a privately owned golf course for the district. A committee should see itself as a task force. Each committee needs to have a plan of action to fulfill its mission, which is to make a well-researched recommendation to the board by a specific time. Once the committee makes its recommendation, the board should then address the issue at hand. Revisiting how the committee arrived at its recommendation not only wastes the board's time, it undermines the entire committee process. Let the Executive Keep You Informed The executive should summarize an issue in a report. This report should be mailed to the board members well before the meeting. This allows time for board members to read the report prior to the meeting and call the executive to ask questions or request clarification on specific aspects of an issue. The executive can help board members make decisions by answering the following questions in his or her report about a particular issue:
6 - Illinois Parks and Recreation • Does the issue relate to or conflict with the agency's mission? • What is the economic impact of the decision? • Are legal issues involved? • What are the likely outcomes of the board's passing or defeating a motion regarding this issue? • What programs, policies or personnel will be affected if the board passes or defeats a morion regarding this issue? • How will passing or defeating a motion on this issue affect the different segments of an agency's constituency? These are the sorts of topics that an executive's report should analyze. Move Toward a Motion Committee recommendations and executive reports should contain specific language for a motion — not just a topic — for the board to consider. By having a morion made and seconded, discussion focuses specifically on that topic. Boards oftentimes will talk about a lot of different things at a board meeting. And by the time the meeting should be over, they find that they've heard a lot of talk, but accomplished nothing. In order to act, the board must get a morion on the floor and get a second. Then board members can discuss their concerns. The chair should determine an adequate amount of time for discussion of an issue, and then bring the matter to a vote. Screw Your Courage to the Sticking Point Just as every championship team needs a leader, boards sometimes need one of their own to come forward and encourage board members to live up to their commitments. An executive, or, better yet, a longtime board member can tactfully remind fellow board members that the major reason for serving on this board is to make decisions. Boards set policy that determines what the agency will do, and that requires making decisions. When a board doesn't do that, the board members are wasting not only their time, but also the executive's time and the staff's time, too. If some board members never want to make any decisions, then it might be appropriate for the board president to ask them to reassess their reasons for serving. Finally, once a decision is made, have the conviction to stick by it. Some new policies take time to implement, and their positive effects aren't immediately apparent. Sometimes it will take a new executive a year or two to turn an agency around. Boards that change their mind about a new policy or a new executive without giving that policy or that executive time to work are just as indecisive as boards that refuse to make any decision in the first place. Occasionally, a decision does indeed turn out to be a mistake and must be re-examined. Mistakes can happen. But inaction or ill-considered actions cannot be tolerated. So, stand and wait no longer. Take courage and rest assured that you will make good decisions if you remember to: 1. Understand which decisions properly belong to the board 2. Trust your committees 3. Act on information supplied by the executive, and 4. Have the patience to let the decision-making process bear good fruit.
November/Decemher 2004 - 7 |
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