Board chair and executive director relationships: How do they work?

Boards and executives go through various phases and stages in their cycle. Whether a new mission-driven organization or a mature, transitioning, stable or progressing entity, the relationship between the executive director and the board chair is one of the most important relationships in making the organization successful.

The relationship between the executive director and the board chair is interdependent, and requires regular communication and collaboration. These individuals must have good chemistry so that they can connect and communicate well with each other.

Besides the obvious need to work together, the relationship between the executive director and the board chair sets an important precedent for other relationships. Their relationship has a collateral effect on the other board directors, managers and staff. These two individuals represent a small, but powerful, leadership team. Either they set the stage for respect and cooperation, or they can foster tension and dissonance among the ranks.

Personal attributes enhance the relationship

Professionalism, mutual trust and respect are contagious. When these qualities exist between an executive director and a board chair, they will be evident to everyone around them — setting the tone for lower-level relationships and inspiring collaborative work at every level.

It takes time, effort and commitment to make the relationship strong and productive. When both parties are committed to their relationship and to the organization’s mission, they can accomplish great things together.

As Mary Hiland points out, “Nonprofit leaders need to recognize that the board chair-executive director relationship is an important and powerful resource that can be leveraged in support of the organization’s mission. They need to promote and engage in dialogue about how to best develop and nurture it.”

“Nonprofit leaders need to recognize that the board chair-executive director relationship is an important and powerful resource that can be leveraged in support of the organization’s mission. They need to promote and engage in dialogue about how to best develop and nurture it.” – Mary Hiland, Ph.D., coach, mentor and nonprofit leadership expert

Clarify roles and responsibilities

For the board chair and the executive director to maintain a strong professional relationship, each of them must be clear on their duties and responsibilities to avoid overlap or potential conflict.

Board chairpersons should be focused on governance. In this role, the chair is accountable to the executive director and to the board. These are some key responsibilities and must-dos for board chairs:

• Remove themselves from the day-to-day operations and organizational politics and stay in their own lane.
• Ensure that the work the executive director and staff do is continually in sync with the organization’s mission, direction and priorities.
• Provide timely guidance and wise counsel to help the executive director be confident when presenting status reports to the board, constituents and the media.
• Carefully manage how the board functions when addressing issues or making fiduciary decisions for the organization.
• Collaborate with the executive director on board meeting agendas and discussion topics.

By contrast, the executive director has other responsibilities that contribute to a strong relationship with the board chair. They should:

• Focus on managing the daily operations.
• Lead the organization.
• Motivate staff.
• Support board chair with updates on operations or important issues such as risk management.
• Help to fulfill the mission and foster good governance by being transparent and accountable.

Executive directors have a reciprocal responsibility to support the board chair in delivering the mission. In addition, executive directors play an important role in keeping the board chair informed on issues such as risk management and updates on operations.

From a broader perspective, executive directors support governance by giving the chair the necessary data and information in order to show accountability and transparency.

The relationship between the board chair and the executive director is a work in progress. When it works well, the relationship should grow and strengthen through shared challenges and experiences. Mutual trust, respect and a common understanding of the organization’s goals are key to making this relationship successful.

Executive directors and board chairs work on board meeting agendas together and executive directors are usually instrumental in shaping board discussions.

Good governance means having solid processes in place — rules that build a foundation, policies that guide your next steps, and coordinated activities that ensure informed oversight. Good governance depends on people. Leaders set the tone at the top for collaboration, thoughtful deliberation, and giving all stakeholders a voice. Download our good governance guide today to transform data into strategic success and drive exceptional performance.

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Sharing strengthens the relationship

One valuable way to build trust and maintain a strong relationship between the executive director and board chair is for each to fact-share with candor and regularity. There are many uncertainties in running any company or organization, creating continual opportunities for mutual brainstorming, problem-solving, out-of-the-box thinking and exploring those all-important “what-ifs.”

Give-and-take exchanges are important all the time, but especially in times of change and transition. Leaders can share information that helps them make concessions, adapt to changes, address new challenges and adjust to changing circumstances.

Since both positions come with many responsibilities and issues to manage, intense feelings may occur. It is also important to emotionally support each other when this happens. Board chairs and executive directors can reinforce their relationships by regularly offering words of support, reassurance and care.

Technology supports strong board and executive director relationships

Board chairs and executive directors need to support each other in many important ways. To do so, they both need the support that only modern governance practices can offer them.

BoardEffect provides a secure platform where leaders can communicate and collaborate on a regular basis. The software, accessible on mobile devices, allows them to connect while they are on the go.

Leaders can invite additional people into their board discussions as needed with a feature that opens access to files for those who have authorization. BoardEffect delivers the right information at the right time to the board and executive staff all with state-of-the-art cybersecurity measures to protect against cybercrime.

Board chairs and executive directors must operate in an interdependent series of cycles:

• Meeting cycles: online board books, scheduling, approvals and tasks.
• Annual cycles: surveys and evaluations, policy handbooks, budget, audit and compliance.
• Development cycles: recruitment, board orientation, collaboration tools and reporting

Creating and sustaining a strong relationship between the board chair and executive director is achieved through communication, collaboration, clear lines of responsibility and using a solution like BoardEffect for secure and efficient day-to-day board management.