When Board Members Go Bad!
We’ve all seen it. Someone who presents well, is articulate, and shows enthusiasm for the organization (meaning they have participated and contributed), gets appointed or elected to the Board of Directors. Everyone has high hopes for this individual and looks forward to their tenure.
Then, like the story of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” they become a completely different person than you expected. Their behavior is passive-aggressive. They are obstacles to forward movement. They become argumentative and accusatory, and sometimes threaten legal action. Despite demanding they be given responsibilities, they do not fulfill them and projects go undone. Over the long-term, the Board becomes a frustrated, under-performing group of people who see no point in bothering. This attitude filters down to other volunteers and eventually the membership.
How on earth can this happen? Well, dear reader, I’ll tell you.
It’s because your candidate recruitment system needs tweaking STAT, and you may have a 19th century election process. If you are in this situation, there are steps you can take to help minimize the havoc wreaked by this individual, and to prevent this from happening again.
Most important to note: this board member didn’t “go bad” – they already were bad. It was just overlooked. No one should feel badly about this because it happens for the same reason con artists are successful: humans are generally positive, trusting people and don’t assume ill intent from someone they consider a friend or part of their community. Many times, like in gangster movies, these individuals are presented as a “goodfella” meaning you can trust them and work with them.
Until you can’t.
Nonprofit organizations need to have systems in place for removing these individuals when they show their true colors. Don’t wait, because the poison of this behavior will seep into everything, destroying morale, reducing engagement, and ultimately affecting renewal rates. So much for the 80% retention rate, especially if an organization makes it nearly impossible to remove a poorly performing or problem board member. And if you have the same “impossible” system for your chapter boards, prepare for your membership engagement to decrease dramatically – drama is a repellent for active engagement and volunteer pipelines.
What should be in place to help manage these Bad Board Members?
A support system for the volunteer leaders and senior staff who have to attempt to correct this bad behavior. No one has to tolerate poor behavior from anyone for any reason. Make sure that leaders and staff know they are not alone in this situation and won’t be punished for trying to help this Bad Board Member do better. A united front is crucial to handling bad behavior.
If this Bad Board Member threatens the organization, be prepared to defend it. Get a lawyer if they threaten a lawsuit and if they are a donor that threatens to stop giving, find other sources to replace the lost revenue. The cost of doing business with Bad Board Members is not worth it, and no one has the right to commit blackmail. This is a volunteer situation; the experience should be as positive as possible and everyone should be treated with consideration. Punishing the high performers by tolerating bad behavior is never a good approach.
If you have a Code of Ethics or Code of Conduct, use this as the starting point for conversations with Bad Board Members. Find the courage of your conviction to point out that their behavior is not in line with what the organization encourages, models, and envisions for the future. A Code of Ethics is meaningless without an enforcement/education mechanism. We don’t need to punish, but we do need to educate and send clear messages of expected behavior.
If you don’t have a Code of Ethics or Standards of Conduct, now is a good time to create one. Put together a group of volunteer leaders and active members to create the initial draft. Conduct research to help this working group craft the best Code of Ethics possible. Get buy-in from members and non-members; creating a Code of Ethics could be the action that encourages a non-member to join.
Review your leadership development program and pipeline. Is it helping find the best of the best? Or does it just identify warm bodies? Leaders should be identified early and developed over time with education, training, and observation. See how they perform and react to others; do they support the mission and the Code of Ethics? Support leaders that focus on the work and the mission of the organization, not the drama.
Assess your election system. Do you have a Nominating Committee that looks for the best candidates? Or do you have an election that may hinge more on popularity and big talk than qualifications? Another problem with elections is that candidates can run unopposed, which is a big Uh-Oh.
Many times, we point out that members get out of an organization what they put it into it. However, as we say in the research biz, “crap in, crap out.” If your system does not support finding the best candidates and holding everyone accountable for their behavior – with real consequences for bad behavior – nonprofit organizations will continue to be at the mercy of the madcap antics and whims of the emotionally immature.
In the end, cultures are created by the behavior that is tolerated.
