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Nonprofit Board Orientation: Challenges and Opportunities

Thank you to Mary Hiland, Ph.D., for this guest blog article on a topic of great importance to nonprofit executive directors – orienting new board members. Mary is a nonprofit board and leadership development consultant dedicated to assisting nonprofit executives and board members unleash their potential for organizational and community impact. She spent 26 years as an executive in the nonprofit sector, where she grew a small nonprofit into one of the largest nonprofits in the Bay Area. She has been a consultant for the past 16 years working with hundreds of nonprofit organizations and their leaders. Learn more about Mary at her website.

Nonprofit organizations provide critical and life-enhancing services to our communities. If you are a nonprofit executive or board member, you know first-hand what a valuable role you play.

But, we all have a stake in nonprofits’ success. And we know that to achieve that success, a nonprofit must be led by an effective board of directors and must mobilize board members to advance the nonprofit’s mission.

One of the biggest opportunities to ensure a nonprofit board realizes its full potential is in orienting new board members.

Orienting board members effectively, however, isn’t easy. That may be why it is so rare.

I’ve gathered information about experiences of board members from a wide range of nonprofits. When asked if they had ever had any orientation to the job of being a board member, 78% of them said none! Another 13% had only one workshop/training experience ever.

Often the job of orienting board members falls to the executive director. In my experience, however, when executives do the orientation their focus is generally more on educating board members about the organization’s programs and services rather than what it means to be a board member. So, where’s the disconnect?

It’s actually pretty simple….

Most board orientations focus on information about the nonprofit itself. And that’s important. But there are lots of missing pieces. The “governance stuff” is either left out or so minimal that board members promptly forget it. Governance items include things like board members’ roles and responsibilities as distinct from those of staff, board members’ three legal duties, why boards are important, and the positive impact effective boards have.

Nonprofit leaders face three other challenges with board orientation:

Board orientations emphasize oversight and rules, instead of focusing on board member opportunities for impact and contribution.
The time commitment to repeat orientation whenever a new member joins can be a burden.
And, it’s hard to ensure every board member receives consistent and comprehensive information.

What’s the result? At best, board members don’t have all the information and inspiration they need to fully contribute to their job and the mission. In worst cases, board members micromanage the executive director because they don’t understand the boundaries of their role.

Over the last 16 years, I have seen what an asset an effective board can be. And I’m passionate about helping nonprofit leaders unleash the full potential of their boards — starting from the moment they join a nonprofit. I want to make nonprofit board orientation effective (and easy).

That’s why I created a free training, “The 3 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make Orienting Board Members That Cost Time and Resources.” These mistakes cost valuable time and resources, and I want nonprofit leaders to have the tips they need to avoid them.

If you’re a nonprofit leader, watch the free training by clicking here.

If you’re not involved with a nonprofit right now, share this with someone who is.

All the best!

PS Thanks Michelle for inviting me to share this with your readers!

Leveraging Support Beyond the Dollars

In the work I do with leadership teams in small and mid-sized nonprofits and start-ups, I find that there’s often a missed opportunity to leverage the knowledge and advice of funders, investors and Boards of Directors. These critical stakeholders have much to offer in the way of support beyond their financial investments. The key to leveraging that support is to proactively engage with them.

Admitting to a funder or investor that there’s an issue can be difficult. You want them to feel comfortable that their money is well-invested, and that the organization is in good hands. But here’s the thing. Ignoring an issue or waiting too long to ask for help is a waste of valuable time and resources – both yours and the stakeholder’s.

Funders, investors and Boards of Directors have a stake in wanting the organization to succeed. And the individual members of these groups have knowledge, experience and a variety of skills that they are willing to share to help achieve that success.

Here are some tips on engaging and partnering with your stakeholders.

Communicate early and often. Open, honest communication is key to building a strong relationship. Keep your stakeholders informed – and not just when there’s a crisis. Communicate with them on a regular basis to let them know what’s going well, and where you anticipate there might be an issue.

Ask for help – beyond the dollars. Funders, investors and Boards are a great resource of knowledge, skills and connections that they are typically happy to share to help support the organization. Do research or meet with them personally to learn their areas of knowledge and skills. Demonstrate an interest in engaging with them beyond their financial support.

Remember that strong relationships are built on trust and integrity. Above all, be honest and forthright with your stakeholders. If you hide issues or lie about product capabilities or organizational performance they will eventually find out. We’ve all seen what happened in the Theranos debacle when founder Elizabeth Holmes lied to investors about her blood-testing technology. Once you’ve lost that trust you may never gain it back.

Successful businesses are built on good relationships – with customers, with employees, with vendors, and most certainly with stakeholders.

Employees Want Regular and Timely Feedback

In my last blog I talked about how to have a difficult conversation. For some leaders, giving feedback is considered a difficult conversation, especially if the feedback is negative. But here’s the thing. As a leader, one of your responsibilities is developing your people. And one of the best ways to do this is by giving regular, timely feedback.

And guess what? Employees want to receive regular feedback, even negative or “redirecting” feedback. In a study reported in the Harvard Business Review, 92% of respondents agreed that “Negative (redirecting) feedback, if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance.” In that same study, 69% of respondents said they would work harder if they felt their efforts were better recognized.

So when your employees are performing well – let them know it. And when they need improvement – let them know it. Don’t wait until the annual performance review. Without acknowledgement of their good performance, those who are performing well may lose momentum. And without feedback and coaching to improve poor performance, employees may assume that they are doing just fine.

Waiting until the annual performance review significantly reduces the impact of the feedback – whether positive or constructive – and in cases where improvement is needed can often prolong and increase the impact of undesirable behaviors. Here are 5 tips for giving feedback effectively.

Make it timely. Saying “thank you” or “good job!” soon after an employee has done something extra encourages them to continue. Likewise, discussing performance issues “in the moment” helps reestablish expectations and initiates the improvement process sooner rather than later. If you allow a performance issue to continue without bringing it to the employee’s attention he or she may not even realize it’s a problem.
Be consistent. Be sure you’ve communicated expected performance levels and behaviors to all your employees and then give feedback consistently based on those expectations. This will prevent the appearance of favoritism.
Make it clear. Use the SIE format – Situation, Impact, Expectation. State the situation – “Being at work on time is essential for us to be able to meet the needs of our customers. You’ve been late three mornings in a row.” State the impact – “When you’re late, others have to make your deliveries which impacts the schedule.” State the expectation – “I expect you to be at work and ready to start deliveries by 8:00 am every day.” When employees understand the adverse impact of their actions they’re much more likely to change them.
Write it down. Writing down employee issues serves two purposes. First, it provides the paper trail necessary to prove you have a valid reason for corrective action or termination. Second, it holds the employee accountable for their actions.
Own it. Feedback needs to be about something you’ve observed, not something you’ve heard second hand, and it should never be delivered when you’re angry or upset. Also, find a private place to have your developmental discussion.

Both positive and constructive feedback should be given in the spirit of recognizing people for what they achieve and helping them be the best they can be.

Avoiding That Difficult Conversation? Don’t!

Very few people jump at the chance to have what they know will be a difficult conversation. Whether it’s delivering bad news (“we have to lay you off”), providing negative feedback (“your report had multiple errors and needs to be redone”) or breaking off a relationship (“it’s not you, it’s me”) most of us will go out of our way to avoid initiating that conversation. In fact, according to a survey by VitalSmarts, a leadership development firm, 70% of employees avoid difficult conversations with their boss, coworker or direct report. Thirty-four percent say they have put off holding a difficult conversation for at least a month, and 25 percent have put off holding a difficult conversation for more than a year.

Unlike wine, these conversations do not improve with age. In fact, when leaders put off having that difficult conversation with an employee, it can severely impact morale on the rest of the team, and may even result in the loss of customers.

Here’s an example. A company I was working with hired a new Sales Manager. Over time, this manager’s team began to complain about a number of things. He wasn’t cooperating with the rest of the team. He would get in people’s faces. He took credit for other people’s work. He would over promise to customers, and when he couldn’t deliver, he would blame others for it. The company owner was reluctant to speak with him or to take action. He didn’t want to admit he’d made a bad hire. I encouraged the owner to explore what was happening internally, and to consider that it might be impacting the company’s image externally. Following an investigation, the Sales Manager was fired. Not long after that, two customers called the owner to say that they had been on the verge of moving their business because of the way this individual had treated them. Bad behavior is bad for business!

If there’s a difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding, stop! Sit down right now and give yourself a deadline to get it done. Here are some tips to guide you through it.

Prepare for the conversation by asking yourself these questions:

What is the issue? What is its impact?
Do I have all the facts? Remember it’s important to focus on facts rather than conclusions, which may be wrong. Don’t assume that because someone is late two times a week that they’re lazy or don’t care. Give them a chance to explain.
What do I want to accomplish in the conversation?
How will I follow up after the conversation?

It’s also important to prepare for the emotional energy that may arise in the conversation – either yours or that of the other person. You may want to practice the conversation with a colleague.

Have the conversation.

Schedule a face-to-face meeting, in private, at a time that will be free of distractions (e.g., not when there’s a crucial deadline pending).
Enter the meeting with an open mind – remember, they may be totally unaware there’s an issue until you share it with them. Be prepared to hear their point of view/perception of the situation.
Start by stating your intent. “I’ve noticed that_______. I’d like to hear your feelings about this and share mine.”
Listen, acknowledge their input, and paraphrase it back to them to demonstrate understanding.
Share your concerns/point of view and give them the opportunity to respond.
Avoid the blame game.
Work together to come up with a solution.

Follow up. One of the benefits of getting through these conversations is that often they result in a closer and more trusting relationship. Granted, there are times when a mutual solution cannot be reached, and that may be the solution in and of itself (as in the case of the Sales Manager). But when the conversation helps to clarify perceptions and initiate more open dialogues, it leads to better working relationships, happier employees, and an overall improved working environment.

Walk the Talk: Creating a Culture of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

As competition for attracting and keeping top talent heats up, companies who demonstrate that they have a culture of diversity and inclusion will have a significant advantage. Not only are these companies likely to perform better financially, as we discussed in my last blog, they are also more likely to engage and retain their high performing employees. And…attract new ones!

According to LinkedIn Talent Solutions’ 2018 Global Recruiting Trends report, “diversity is the biggest game-changer” among recruiting trends for 2018. Seventy-eight percent of their survey respondents indicated that diversity is very or extremely important in shaping their recruiting and hiring efforts for 2018. And it’s not just diversity – it’s diversity, inclusion, and belonging, all key elements in attracting, engaging and retaining employees.

Companies are focusing their efforts on a wide definition of diversity, including gender (71%), racial and ethnic (49%), age/generational (48%), educational (43%), disability (32%), religious (19%) and other (6%).

Yet despite this focus, companies still have a challenge in attracting diverse candidates. Here are some things to consider as you work on making your candidate pool more diverse, and your culture one of diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Demonstrate your commitment to diversity through the images on your website and in recruiting collateral. Show that you walk the talk.

Review job posting language through the lens of diversity and inclusion. Words matter. Terms such as “rockstar, “ninja” or “guru” may discourage some perfectly qualified people from applying. Use gender neutral language. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing “manage” to “develop.” A recent KQED article noted that “if you say manage a team, the applicants are primarily male. If you say develop a team, it tends to be female. And when you say lead a team, it tends to be neutral.”

Emphasize the impact of the role. Studies show that men will apply for jobs when they meet only 60% of the requirements, whereas women don’t feel confident to apply unless they meet 100% of the requirements. Consider only including the must-have requirements (versus adding all of the nice-to-haves) and focusing more on the impact the candidate would make in the position.

Be sure diversity is reflected in your culture. Consider incorporating things like time off for important holidays for diverse religions, providing parental leave, and implementing LGBTQ-friendly policies. Identify and eliminate workplace practices and attitudes that are anti-diversity-inclusion-belonging.

Confirm your commitment to diversity and inclusion on a regular basis by ensuring that teams, projects, promotions and other opportunities are open to the broader definition of diverse individuals – gender, ethnicity, points of view, sexual orientation, etc.

If you need help in incorporating diversity into your hiring practices and/or culture, please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com.

Improve Company Performance Through Diversity and Inclusion

There has been much discussion recently about the disparity in pay and opportunity for women and minorities across a variety of industries. And although Silicon Valley companies have created many initiatives over the years to close the gap, the gap in hi-tech remains. But here’s the thing. Those companies who have successfully increased diversity and inclusion – especially at the senior management level – are significantly outperforming those who haven’t.

According to a recent McKinsey & Company report, companies that ranked in the top quartile on executive-level gender diversity outperformed their less diverse peers by 21%. Companies with the most ethnically diverse executive teams outperformed their peers by 33%. Conversely, the report showed that the least diverse companies underperformed their industry peers by 29%. Clearly there’s a correlation between diversity and the bottom line.

In addition to improving financial performance, proactively creating a culture of diversity and inclusion improves employee engagement and helps attract new talent. Companies that embrace differences and provide opportunities for all are far more attractive and motivating workplaces. This is important for leaders to remember, especially now that we’re in an environment where there’s competition for talent.

Although the McKinsey report looked at diversity primarily through the lens of gender and ethnicity, I think it’s important to consider a broader definition. All too often leaders fall into the trap of hiring someone very much like them – similar personality, similar background, similar way of approaching a problem or decision. Yet there is so much to be learned and gained from building a team and organization that includes a variety of personalities, backgrounds, and approaches. When different viewpoints and approaches are brought to the table it spurs innovation, which contributes to the organization’s competitive edge.

Creating a culture of diversity and inclusion can also help attract customers. Today’s consumers have myriad choices, and many are looking to do business with companies that demonstrate they care by providing opportunities, development and advancement for all.

Next time we’ll talk about some things you can do to promote diversity and inclusion in your culture and hiring practices.

Motivate Employees Through Cascading Goals

Once you’ve decided on your theme and overall goals for the organization, as I spoke about in my last blog, the next step is defining the specific objectives and activities (with due dates) that will help you achieve those goals. A critical activity in this process is communicating company goals and what needs to be done to achieve them to employees. Employees are, after all, the engine that will help drive the organization toward those goals.

As you work with your employees to set their goals, be sure they understand how their individual and team goals tie to the organizational goals. Employees are more likely to be motivated and engaged when they can see how their work impacts the organization as a whole.

When you set goals, be sure they are SMART goals. Effective goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. In our dynamic work environments, organizational goals (and team goals) may shift as priorities change during the year, so be sure to have periodic reviews with employees to update goals as needed. This also gives you the opportunity to understand cause and effect if something slips.

It’s important to keep goals visible. Too often they get tucked away in a PowerPoint – out of sight and out of mind. Consider giving employees a chart or graphic of organizational goals that they keep at their desks to remind them of the destination and inspire them to engage in the journey.

Provide employees with support in terms of resources and guidance as they work on their goals. Are they having trouble getting the input, effort or approvals needed from others in order to complete the goal? Are there roadblocks? Use this as a coaching opportunity and work together to develop a path forward.

When goals are achieved, recognize the achievement. For especially challenging or stretch goals, spend some time with the employee discussing his or her approach, lessons learned, and/or things that could have been done differently.

Cascading and communicating goals may seem like a no brainer, yet so many organizations fail to do so. In his book The 8th Habit, Stephen Covey shared the results of a survey of 23,000 employees drawn from various companies and industries:

Only 37% said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why
Only 1 in 5 was enthusiastic about their team’s and their organization’s goals
Only 1 in 5 said they had a clear “line of sight” between their tasks and their team’s and the organization’s goals
Only 15% felt that their organization fully enables them to execute key goals

Be ahead of the curve and motivate your employees by cascading goals!

What is Your Theme for the Year?

It’s January, and if you haven’t already done so, this is the perfect time to think about what you want to accomplish this year. What are your big themes – both for your business, and for your personal development? This is different than making resolutions (which studies say typically dissolve by the end of February) this is about setting goals and making a plan on how to achieve them. All too often we get so busy working “in” the business that we don’t take time to work “on” the business (or ourselves, for that matter) so that we can achieve our full potential both professionally and personally.

Carve out some time this month to think about what you want your business, or your department or your team to achieve over the next 12 months. (If this is mid-year for your fiscal year, do a check in on previously set goals to validate, review progress and/or update them). Consider these questions:

What is your theme for the business this year? Growth? More involvement in the community? Changing the company culture? Expanding the brand? Increasing employee retention?

To align your business strategy with that theme, what do you need to START doing, what do you need to STOP doing, and what do you need to CONTINUE doing?

Now think about how you want to develop as a leader this year. Be more of a risk taker? Improve in strategic planning? Expand knowledge of business environment? Improve communication skills?

In order to develop in the desired area, what do you need to START doing, what do you need to STOP doing and what do you need to CONTINUE doing?

Once you develop your overarching goals for the business and as a leader, you can begin to create specific goals and actions that will help you achieve them. We’ll talk about that next time.

If you need some ideas or inspiration, consider Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO. Every year he sets a personal goal for himself. Past goals have included learning Mandarin, running a total of 365 miles over the year, and visiting all 50 states. His personal challenge for 2018 is to fix Facebook to “protect our community from abuse and hate, defend against interference by nation states, and make sure that time spent on Facebook is well spent.” As you’ve no doubt read, he’s already started working on this goal.

Other CEOs shared their leadership goals in a Fast Company article last year.

What will your goals be?

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” – Bill Copeland

Happy Holidays from Connect to HR

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are here already, and that 2018 is just around the corner! I hope that you will have a warm and wonderful holiday season with family and friends, and that the New Year will bring you happiness and success.

In this season of giving, I also hope that you will remember those who are less fortunate by making a donation or volunteering your time for one of the many organizations who serve those in need. This year has been a particularly difficult one for many. Here are some ideas.

I also want to express my deep gratitude to you, my loyal readers, for being part of the Connect to HR community. I hope that through my blog articles I’ve been able to keep you engaged and informed. I appreciate your comments, and I look forward to continuing the conversation in 2018!

All my best wishes for very Merry Holidays and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

It’s Time to Review Your Year-End HR Checklist

The holidays and the new year are fast approaching. Before your attention turns entirely to holiday cards and gift lists, remember to set aside some time to ensure you have reviewed and completed any HR items that need to be completed before year end. I’ve included a list of those items below.

Also, in light of recent sexual harassment issues across industries, it’s a good time to review your harassment policies, and to schedule anti-harassment training.

If you are an employer with 50 or more employees, you are required by California law to provide at least two hours of sexual harassment training to all supervisory employees within 6 months of their becoming a supervisor. You also must repeat the training at least once every two years. This training must also include anti-bullying training.

All employers, no matter their size, must take reasonable steps to prevent discrimination and harassment from occurring. Learn about your requirements as an employer here. Although the training requirement applies only to supervisory employees, we recommend that all employees receive training to prevent sexual harassment and abusive conduct.

Here’s a checklist of other items to complete before year end. Be sure to add any items relative to your particular business that you don’t see here.

Order any updated Federal and State Labor Law Posters
Review your employee handbook to identify any changes needed based on new laws, policies and/or procedures
Review and update employee addresses in preparation for W-2 distribution
Review and update job descriptions
Finalize the HR Budget for 2018
Finalize focal process for 2018
Finalize company goals
Determine dates of company holidays for 2018
Finalize and announce any new benefits/employee perks for 2018
Renew any annual memberships and subscriptions
Schedule annual reviews with employees
Deal with any lingering employee relations issues

In addition, think back over the year and reflect on what went well and what didn’t go well from an HR standpoint. Are your employees engaged and productive? If not, do you see any trends that you could work on turning around in 2018? Are there any employees who stand out as particularly high potential? How will you develop and retain them in 2018?

Giving some thought to these things now, and then putting a plan in place to address them after the first of the year will get 2018 off to a good start!

If you would like to schedule an HR Audit, or need help creating or updating your Employee Handbook, please contact me at michelle@connecttohr.com.