Questions to ask about the intellectual capacity and EQ of potential board members

Serving on a board, church or otherwise, requires a special intellectual capacity or ability. This is not about education - many educated people have limited intellectual capacity and many who lack higher education have it along with good common sense.

It is the ability to think conceptually, to visualize what could be rather than simply what is, to be able to focus on the big picture and concepts rather than on the small picture and details and enough personal flexibility to be open to new ideas, and work constructively with other board members. It is also the ability to entrust staff to do what they must do and to always be pushing the missional agenda of the church or organization. It includes the ability to problem solve in creative ways rather than simply to fall back on what they have seen before in another church or organization.

Not everyone can do that and too often we bring well meaning, even Godly individuals onto our boards who actually hinder progress by their narrow views, inability to think conceptually and who believe that board work is guarding the status quo and controlling staff. Those who have worked on boards with people who do not have the intellectual skills enumerated above know how frustrating that can be. 

Among other considerations you may have in choosing board members it is helpful to ask the following kinds of questions:

• Do they think big picture of small picture (You want them to think big picture)
• Can they engage the future of the organization or simply deal with status quo? (You want them to think future)
• Do they exhibit personal flexibility or are they inflexible in their thinking? (You want them to be flexible)
• When problem solving do they see all the pieces or just some of the pieces? (You want them to think of all the pieces)
• Do they like to micromanage or empower? (You want them to empower)
• Can they trust staff or do they need to know everything before staff can act? (You want them to trust)
• Do they work synergistically with others or do they need things their way? (You want them to work synergistically)
• Do they think missionally or like to deal with inconsequential issues? (You want them to think missionally)
• Are they articulate and thoughtful or confusing and quick to make judgements? (You want them to be articulate and thoughtful)
• Do they exhibit personal humility or are they proud and overbearing? (You want them to exhibit humility)
• Do they have all the answers or are they open to discussion and flexible in the solution? (You want them to be open and flexible)
• Are they able to negotiate conflict or are they black and white and tend to see winners and losers. (You want them to be able to negotiate conflict well)
• Are they generally positive or negative in their outlook on life? (You want positive people who believe good things can happen.

These are matters of EQ and intellectual capacity and they directly impact the health and effectiveness of a board and therefor the organization the board serves. Again, it is not about educational level. It is about the ability to think well and understand the big picture of the organization - in order to help it move forward. Think about the board members you know who do this well and those who lack these skills. There is a difference! The quality of your leadership is only as good as the leaders you choose.

Creating cultures of excellence
AddingtonConsulting.org

A strategic exercise for every team or organizational leader in seven steps

Leaders assume that they know what they are doing. And in a general sense, that is probably true. It is easy, however, to be so general in our direction that we miss the opportunities that a laser-like focus could provide. General direction yields general results, while focused direction yields focused results. How do we move from the first to the second?

There is a simple strategic exercise that can help you get there with some other members of your team and a whiteboard work through the following process.

First, write on the board your team's purpose as you currently view it. Don't worry about wordsmithing anything now; just record the purpose.

Second. Make a list of all of your stakeholders. They may be customers, staff, donors, constituents, vendors, or others. Next to each stakeholder, make a note about what is most important to each of those stakeholders. Make sure that you get them all!

Third. Make a list of all your current strategies to reach your purpose. Once you have done this, ask yourself the question: Do these strategies speak to the concerns of your stakeholders, and are they consistent with your stated purpose above?

Fourth. Go back to your stated purpose in One and refine it in light of your stakeholders, your strategies, and the concerns of your stakeholders. Can you get to a purpose statement that is concise, focused, and clear? Keep working on it until you get there, as it may take many tries and multiple minds. Only quit once it is concise, laser-focused, clear, and speaks to the concerns of your stakeholders and mission.

Fifth. Having done this, go back to your current strategies (3) and ask whether those strategies will help you get to your purpose. Having done the interim work, you will probably recognize that some things you are doing will yield different results than you desire, as expressed in your refined purpose or the needs of your stakeholders. Remember, general direction delivers general results, while focused direction yields focused results. Make a note of strategies that need to be rethought, abandoned, or new ones that may be more fruitful.

Sixth. Ask yourself: "Are there any new ways of doing what we do that would be a game changer and not just a tweak?" It is finding the game changers in our strategies that move the dial significantly rather than just a tiny bit. Game changers are new ways of thinking, new ideas that can help you achieve your purpose and outside-the-box thinking. You can tweak all day, but one game changer can propel you months or years ahead of where you are. 

Seventh. Settle on a few key strategies that will get you the highest results rather than on many strategies that will get you a few results each. A laser-focused purpose and the few most fruitful approach will help you get where you want to go far faster and with better results.

Why do many leaders not do this kind of work? They get lost in the activity of the present (activity and results are not the same), the work of the status quo (which keeps you nicely where you are) rather than taking the time to zero in on the most critical issues. Pay attention to the very work that will propel you forward. 

Creating cultures of excellence

AddingtonConsulting.org