Love Your Board Again: Reset expectations, energy, and partnership
Executive Directors, I know the drive home after a flat board meeting. It felt like the wheels on your car, just going around and around. I know the feeling of disappointment because the board meeting did not move the work forward.
A board full of good people, smart people, and mission-first people; yet, the air leaves the room by the second agenda item. You spend time reading reports that should have been pre-read for the meeting. You give updates that never needed a meeting. You ask yourself, what changed?
Over the past year I have been working with boards across different missions and sizes. Often the patterns feel familiar; blurred roles, too many reports, and spotty attendance.
This is what I know: when leaders reset the work and give people a way to connect, energy returns.
You have the opportunity to do that now. Here is a clear path that keeps your voice at the center:
Reset Expectations
Boards drift when roles blur. You bring the lane lines back.
Say it out loud in meetings and pre reads. “Boards govern. Staff operate.”
Open each meeting with one question. What is the most important choice this board needs to make in the next sixty days?
Turn updates into choices. If a report does not lead to a decision, move it to a brief written note.
Post these three agreements and keep them visible:
We spend most of our time on strategy and risk.
Committees do deep work and bring clear options to the full board.
We speak with one voice outside the room after a vote.
Expect some friction as roles tighten. That is normal. Clarity makes the work easier for everyone.
Bring Back Energy
Begin the meetings with one mission story. Thirty seconds. One person served; one barrier removed.
Cut the noise. If no decision is needed, share it in writing and protect meeting time.
Present two or three options and develop a format to have the board indicate their choice. Give one minute per person to explain.
Invite quick teach-ins. An example would be to ask your finance lead to walk the board through the dashboard in five minutes. Ask a subject expert to give a three-minute context brief before a vote.
Close with next actions. One sentence per person. Say it out loud. Capture it. Follow up.
People lean in when the work is real and they can see where they fit.
Restore Partnership
Establish a chair and chief executive rhythm. Meet every two weeks for thirty minutes. Ask only three questions. What matters most? What is most at risk? What do you need from me?
Name power and practice transparency. When a big decision is coming, invite two staff you know understand the activity to share what success will take. When staff roll out a major change, ask the board chair to speak to the team for three minutes about why the board supports it.
Agree on the evaluation of the leader. Set annual goals. Do a short mid-year check. Close with a fair review that includes input from the chair, a few board members, and a few staff partners. No surprises.
Clarify how you will support the board. Send timely materials. Make clear asks. Call out risks early. Provide access to key staff when needed.
Partnership grows when both sides make commitments and keep them.
When you reset expectations, bring back energy, and restore partnership you can expect:
Clear expectations turn reports into choices.
Real energy brings people back to the work.
True partnership keeps staff and board members moving in the same direction.
You start to remember why you said yes. And the people you serve feel the difference.