May 2008

May 2008: od180 eNews #27

Pick a Leader... How?
Part 1 of 2

Dear Friends:

Sooner or later, every organization faces the need to select a new executive. It is one of the most important decisions a board of directors ever makes. Yet most boards - thankfully, I suppose - are not practiced at the process. They would welcome some sound advice. This month I offer a short survey of the resources available to guide boards in executive selection processes. Next month I will discuss what to seek with respect to management background.

On a different topic, I received an excellent question from the Rev. Dr. Diana Akiyama, Chair of the Board of Directors of Progressive Christians Uniting in Los Angeles. She asks, "Should Executive Committees keep minutes of meetings and circulate them to the entire board?" My answer follows. I always appreciate your comments and questions. Contact me anytime at davidnorgard@od180.com.

Peace,
David

This Month's Q&A

Q. Should Executive Committees keep minutes and circulate them to the entire board?
A. Generally I recommend that every standing committee, including the executive, provide a single page summary of its actions in advance of the board meeting. Ideally, these committee reports will be circulated along with the agenda and other materials. That said, the Executive Committee is also a special case in that it will sometimes discuss matters that should not be addressed more broadly as well as matters that definitely need to be shared with the whole body. An example of the former is a discussion about an individual personnel problem. In such a case, the Executive Committee is operating rather like a council of advice to the Executive Director. An example of the latter would be granting an extra paid holiday to the whole staff. Overall, the principle is to aim for full transparency while allowing for reasonable discretion with executive matters which are in process.

A Surprisingly Brief Survey of Available Resources

Internet-Based Candidate/Job Search Services: "No Instructions Provided"
In addition to the vast Internet-based candidate/job search services familiar to the public at large, there are also websites which specialize in the nonprofit sector. Some operate as commercial enterprises, such as the ironically named www.dotorgjobs.com, while others are sponsored by NPOs - the rather well known www.idealist.org, for instance. More than a dozen such sites scattered across cyberspace seek to serve a national audience.

Their "user-friendliness" varies substantially. The more sophisticated are designed so that those seeking candidates may include a full-length position description with the posting and those seeking a position may download a printable version of a description with ease as well as post a resume.

All sites generally allow job seekers to make their resumes available and conduct their searches at no cost. In most cases, it does cost to post a job opening for a stated period, with commercial sites typically charging $100 for 60 to 90 days.

To use these sites effectively, the representatives of a NPO already need to be clear about the demands of the job they are seeking to fill and the qualifications which make candidates suitable for it. All glorious declarations aside, these sites function chiefly as marketplaces for talent, needed and offered, where both buyer and seller already know what they are doing. In short, there are "no instructions provided."

Live Candidate/Job Search Services: "Leave it to the Experts"
On the other end of the spectrum lie firms which conduct entire search processes or some portion of them on an organization's behalf, always for a fee. A search firm can approach the best candidates in a discreet way, even if they are currently employed at a similar institution. It can also conduct a silent search when, for whatever reason, the executive's impending departure is not yet public knowledge. Virtually all firms will assist with clarifying qualifications and drafting an appropriate position description. "Leave it to the experts" is the motto here.

Books
Two volumes address themselves specifically to the nonprofit executive search process. Board Source publishes a short manual for boards entitled appropriately Hiring the Chief Executive. Originally published in 1993, it was revised in 2000 and presents itself as "A Practical Guide to the Search and Selection Process" (its subtitle). A search consultant, Barbara Gilvar, offers a much more extensive treatment of the subject in The Art of Hiring Leaders (2007).

About Qualifications: The "Conventional Wisdom"

It might seem to be hyperbole to state that there is no conventional wisdom about what qualifications to seek in a chief executive for a small or midsize NPO. Yet the survey of resources supports just that conclusion. Many of the resources available take no position at all on the question. None of the national websites providing job/candidate search services offer any advice at all on the subject. The two books mentioned above touch on the matter only broadly. Executive search firms undoubtedly address the matter of qualifications with their clients. Yet any wisdom that is shared stays with the client, save for the odd downloadable document.

Alas, the board of the small or midsize NPO appears to be left with only two options when faced with the challenge of finding its next chief executive. It can contract with a search firm in order to have the job done on its behalf. Alternatively, it can proceed on its own with a modicum of advice obtainable about the process and practically nothing available about what qualifications it should actually seek. To state the obvious, both options have their drawbacks.