What Makes a Great Board Member?

A good board member is an active volunteer who is dedicated to the organization, its members and mission. They aren’t afraid of asking difficult questions and discuss their expertise with other members of the board and take on leadership roles within committees. They also seek out opportunities to enhance their governance skills, and also learn new ones through leadership classes and workshops.

An excellent board member understands the time commitment required for board work. They plan ahead and make it a point to attend all board and committee meetings. They are actively involved in their committee assignments, and provide feedback and support when required. They also seek ways of making the board more efficient, such as using tools like scheduling software and platforms that allow simple document sharing.

The ability to exercise sound judgement is the primary quality of a great member of the board. They don’t allow small-scale issues to distract a meeting, or hinder the mission of the organization. They see the bigger picture and provide a valuable outside perspective that is critical to making decisions. They also have a keen awareness of the whole industry and how it affects strategy choices, M&A opportunities, hiring and firing and fundraising, legal issues, and organizational design decisions. Wisdom is cultivated through failures, experience, and intuition. Board members with a lack of it could cause harm to your business.

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