How Good Processes Make Better Boards
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Award-winning coach and multi-certified professional coach Catherine Finger contributes to the well-being of others by offering transformational coaching for leadership, health, and life.
In a few short weeks, I will begin serving as President-Elect of ICF New England, the regional chapter of the International Coaching Federation. As I look ahead to that work, I find myself reflecting on the many boards that have shaped my own leadership journey over the years.
Some were elected boards, while others were nonprofit boards, condominium boards, and organizational governing boards. Along the way, I also spent many years consulting with executives, particularly school superintendents and leadership teams, as they sought to strengthen the relationship between administrators and the elected officials they served. In my coaching practice, I work with executives accountable to corporate boards, as well as board leaders seeking to create healthier team dynamics and stronger leadership outcomes.
Taken together, those experiences have convinced me that boardsmanship is a topic we rarely give the attention it deserves.
We invest heavily in developing individual leaders, yet comparatively little time is spent preparing people to serve well on boards or to lead organizations governed by them. Yet, the quality of a board has profound implications for the health and success of the organization it serves.
For many years, I have said that good processes make better boards. While every organization has its own culture and governance structure, I have found that several practices consistently strengthen relationships, improve decision-making, and create the conditions for thoughtful leadership.
The first of these practices begins with something surprisingly simple.
Know your board and know your board members
The best time to begin building relationships with your fellow board members is not at your first meeting, but at the moment you are appointed or elected.
Reach out by inviting someone for coffee, lunch, or dinner, or visit their office if appropriate. Learn something about the life they lead outside the boardroom. What occupies their days? What responsibilities do they carry? What experiences shaped their decision to serve?
Approach these conversations with genuine curiosity rather than strategic intent. The goal is not to persuade, but to understand.
When I worked with elected boards, I often heard leaders describe board members as “single issue candidates,” people who ran because of one concern, bias, or political position. My response was always the same.
Good.
Whatever motivates someone to leave the comfort of home and step into public service deserves respect. If their interest truly is limited to a single issue, experience usually broadens that perspective over time. As they begin to understand the complexity of the organization and the interconnected nature of its decisions, many grow into thoughtful, seasoned board members.
Do not allow your own assumptions to become barriers to productive relationships.
Even when relationships involve disagreement, and they inevitably will, remember that these are the people entrusted with governance. Wishing for different board members accomplishes very little. Investing in the relationships you have almost always accomplishes much more.
Return to mission, vision, and values
Strong boards remain grounded in purpose, particularly when discussions become difficult or fragmented. Return to the mission of the organization, revisit the vision that brought people together, and clarify the values that will guide decisions when answers are not obvious.
This is where I often return to Jim Collins’ work on great organizations. Effective leadership teams understand what they exist to accomplish and what they aspire to become. They also define the values that shape how they work together while pursuing those goals.
Introduce the expectation from the beginning that this board is capable of becoming a highly functioning leadership team. Share examples of excellent governance. Discuss what effective leadership teams look like, sound like, and practice. Give people a picture of excellence, and then intentionally build the structures that help them move toward it.
Assume good intent and create fair processes
Healthy governance depends upon trust, and trust grows when people experience fairness and predictability.
Whenever possible, ensure that every board member receives the same information at the same time. Make access to materials straightforward and consistent. Remove unnecessary barriers to understanding. Do what you say you are going to do. Your consistency in both speech and behavior builds trust.
One communication principle has served me well for decades. Tell people what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Then tell them what you told them.
The principle is simple because clarity matters. Board members are often balancing demanding professional and personal responsibilities. They should never have to guess what matters most or search through unnecessary detail to understand an issue. Offer the executive summary first. Provide supporting documentation for those who want greater depth.
Think of every communication in layers. What is the essential message? What decision needs to be made? What background information supports that decision? Organizing communication this way respects both people’s time and their different ways of processing information.
Do not take feedback on your leadership personally
Leadership inevitably attracts disagreement. While some criticism will be thoughtful, some will not.
There will be public meetings where emotions run high. There will be moments when decisions are challenged, and motives are questioned. None of that is particularly enjoyable, but much of it comes with the territory.
One of the most helpful lessons I have learned is not to confuse disagreement with personal rejection. Another is to remember that we are all flawed human beings, often brought together to make tough decisions during tough times. Stress brings out the best and the worst in people. Most often, the reaction is not really about you. Rather, it is about the chair you occupy, the position you hold, the organization you represent, or the decision you are communicating on behalf of your board or organization.
The sooner leaders can separate criticism of a decision from criticism of themselves, the steadier they become. That steadiness creates room for thoughtful responses instead of defensive reactions.
Detaching from the outcome of a conversation, comment, or decision allows you to be fully present.
Teach the process
One mistake leaders often make is assuming that people naturally understand the purpose of boards and how they function. They often do not. Leaders can support board members by explaining the principles of board governance or, better yet, by bringing in a trained facilitator to guide the board and executive team in developing their own shared agreements and operating principles.
Teach the process by defining the roles, responsibilities, and goals of every member of the governance team. Explain how information flows. Clarify expectations for preparation, discussion, confidentiality, and decision-making, and practice these routines before high-pressure situations arise.
Create the habit of scheduling routine board retreats with the goal of strengthening relationships, reinforcing high-quality board leadership practices, revisiting the mission, building trust, and discussing real and recent governance experiences outside the pressure of formal agendas.
When difficult public issues arise, and they will, prepare together beforehand. Discuss not only the substance of the issue, but also how board members hope to conduct themselves throughout the conversation. Help board members understand the importance of emotional regulation, and practice appropriate verbal and nonverbal responses together. One board I worked with created and practiced desired responses for members to consider when receiving difficult feedback during contentious, televised public meetings.
Presence matters
Board members communicate long before they speak. Facial expressions, posture, attentiveness, and emotional regulation all influence how the public experiences both a meeting and the organizations we lead.
I encourage board members to develop a “game face.” We practice adopting a professional presence that communicates attentiveness, openness, and composure. This professional presence is especially helpful when discussions become difficult.
Surprises happen in public meetings all the time, and they are not all pleasant. Giving board members simple grounding exercises to practice in the moment and reminding them to relax their facial expressions, breathe deeply, and listen well gives them something to focus on beyond the emotion being directed at them.
One mental image I have found helpful is remembering that criticism is directed toward the chair we occupy rather than toward us as individuals. The role carries responsibility, visibility, and sometimes criticism. Accepting that reality allows us to remain grounded when conversations become emotionally charged.
Model grace
Every leader will make mistakes. The question is not whether those mistakes will occur, but how we respond when they do. How we navigate mistakes publicly reveals both our leadership intent and our character.
One of the strongest leadership moments I have witnessed is a simple apology, “I shared information yesterday that I now understand was incorrect. Here is the correct information, and I apologize.”
Another response might be, “Since our last meeting, new information has come to light that warrants revisiting our earlier decision. I would like to place that item back on the agenda so we can reconsider it together.”
Neither response assigns blame. Neither becomes defensive. Both model integrity. Grace and accountability are not opposites. They strengthen one another.
Develop signature phrases
Finally, every experienced leader benefits from a few dependable phrases that provide stability during difficult conversations.
Over time, every leadership team I have worked with has learned a handful of my own signature phrases. Having messages or simple responses prepared when leaders feel pressured to respond in the moment is a helpful strategy. When emotions are running high, thoughtful language gives leaders something steady to return to. It creates consistency, reduces reactivity, and reminds everyone in the room that respectful leadership is possible, even during disagreement.
Good processes make better boards
Highly functioning boards are not accidental. They are built through purposeful relationships, clear processes, thoughtful communication, and a shared commitment to something larger than any one individual around the table. That, to me, is the practice of boardsmanship.
What tried-and-true strategies have you found effective in strengthening leadership teams and the boards, organizations, and communities they serve?
Catherine Finger, Executive Coaching & Consulting
Award-winning coach and multi-certified professional coach Catherine Finger contributes to the well-being of others by offering transformational coaching for leadership, health, and life. Her passion to instill hope and celebrate beauty, goodness, and truth in the lives of leaders led her to launch her executive coaching and consulting business in 2019. Her years of successful experience as an educational leader, board member, adjunct professor, award-winning author, law enforcement chaplain and community leader equip her with unique insights and deep intuition on both organizations and individuals.
