Called to Serve: Creating and Nurturing the Effective Volunteer Board by Max De Pree

Author:Max De Pree [Unknown]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2008-08-06T01:34:00+00:00

The Role of the Chairperson

Dear Verley,

Perhaps the most crucial element in turning a group of volunteers into an effective organization is the perception the chairperson has of her role and the way that she carries out her responsibilities. One way to think about this is to see the chairperson's role as a needs-meeting job. Just as the organization and its clients have needs to be met, so does the board itself. With this in mind, I'll review a number of qualities board members have a right to look for in their chairperson, qualities your board should expect in its chairperson. Keep in mind that most of these are matters that the chairperson is uniquely positioned to deal with. A chairperson cannot dodge her responsibilities. She must come to the job with the time and flexibility to shoulder her duties.

Believe it or not, I have to remind you that the chairperson chairs a board meeting, not a president or senior staff person. They are important resource persons, but the chairperson chairs. She gives leadership to the devotional bond-making in the group. She manages the board's time. She maintains appropriate focus. Not everything; as you know, carries equal weight. She senses mood and response. She calls the rest and toilet breaks every group needs. She monitors the discussions and at the appropriate time calls for the vote. (Remember, the chairperson votes only in case of a tie.) It often is not enough simply to vote on an action or a direction. It is up to the chairperson to follow action with assignment and to set a timetable for reporting back to the board.

She works continuously at developing her skills in leading meetings. trying always to give each member the opportunity to participate and guarding against the temptation to speak too frequently herself. Bob Greenleaf, whom we've talked about before, taught me the advantages of a chairperson's occasionally declaring periods of silence in meetings for reflection, for absorbing conflicting opinions, for respecting an entirely new idea. I highly recommend it.

In many, perhaps most, organizations there is a president, a pastor, a conductor, or other full-time staff. The chairperson makes it her business to establish a strong covenant with that person. She commits to his success. She makes time to be available. They work together in designing the agenda and reviewing the board's effectiveness. They work out together who speaks for the institution. There are usually a variety of publics to be considered when the institution communicates on matters of vision, mission, values, and strategy. It should always be clear to the members who speaks for them.

I served for a number of years as chairperson of the board of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Dr. David Hubbard, the president, and I would, of course, find time to talk together when the board met. In addition, we often met for a day at the Denver airport, halfway for both of us. We reserved a room in the United Airlines Red Carpet Lounge and could work together four or five hours and still be home that evening.

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