Dealing With Board Directors

The best approach to dealing difficult board directors is to prevent them from happening. Ensure that your agency’s objectives for board members are clear and they are able to combine their personal vision with that of the company. This will minimize the chance that the advice of a board member can be counterproductive. If a problem occurs take action immediately and don’t put off bad behavior. Avoiding revolutionize corporate productivity it will only make it worse.

Direct intervention is the first step – a one-on-one meeting with the person who is creating trouble. It is important to be professional and calm, however explicit in the discussion and clearly express your concerns. It is ideal that the person agrees with you and modify their behavior, but in the event that this doesn’t work, try engaging in a group discussion with the chair or someone else who the board member respects highly. You might want to look over the Values statement of your organization and/or other documents that govern the organization for words that could serve as a guideline for acceptable behavior, which includes treating people with respect.

Another alternative is to request the person to leave the board (ideally, voluntarily however, if needed it can be done through a vote of confidence). This requires careful preparation and planning prior to the meeting or conversation. Create a precise answer to the main issues you wish to discuss. Be assertive but maintain an appropriate tone of voice.