The real work of board leadership often happens between meetings.
I've served as Board Chair of several organizations over the years, and I've served on plenty of other boards. I've seen some terrific Board Chairs. I've also seen some who probably weren't quite prepared for what the job actually required.
And I'll admit something: when I first became a Board Chair, I probably fell into that second category a little myself.
I understood the basics. I knew I needed to run effective meetings, help guide the organization, and be a sounding board and source of support for the Executive Director or CEO. I took those responsibilities seriously.
What I didn't fully appreciate was just how much of the job involved leading the Board itself.
Not just chairing meetings. Actually leading the people who serve on the Board.
The Board Chair has work to do
It's easy to think of the Board Chair as the person who calls the meeting to order, moves through the agenda, and occasionally checks in with the CEO.
But that is only a small part of the job.
Who's making sure Board members are engaged? Who notices when someone hasn't attended three meetings or hasn't followed through on something they agreed to do? Who helps new Board members find their place? Who has the uncomfortable conversation when someone simply isn't meeting expectations?
Those are all part of Board leadership.
And often, those responsibilities fall to the Chair, working with the governance committee and other Board leaders.
I think this is one of the areas where Boards struggle most. We're pretty good at recruiting people and giving them titles. We're not always as good at holding them accountable once they're there.
Nobody particularly enjoys calling a fellow volunteer and asking why they haven't been showing up. It's even less comfortable to suggest that maybe it's time for someone to step down.
But avoiding those conversations doesn't help the organization. It also isn't fair to the Board members who are doing the work.
A good Board Chair needs to be comfortable having difficult conversations, but also thoughtful enough to understand what's going on. Maybe someone has a legitimate reason they've been absent. Maybe their circumstances have changed. Maybe they just need to be reminded of what they committed to.
You won't know unless you have the conversation.
Stop choosing the Chair based on the biggest name
Another mistake I see is how organizations select their Board Chairs.
Sometimes it's the most prominent person on the Board. Sometimes it's the person with the most financial resources or the best connections. Sometimes it's simply whoever is next in line.
None of those automatically makes someone a good Chair.
I'd much rather have a Board Chair who has the time, interest, and willingness to actually do the job.
Someone who can lead a productive meeting, listen to different perspectives, work through disagreements, hold people accountable, and build a strong relationship with the CEO.
That last relationship matters enormously. I believe the Board Chair should be one of the CEO's closest partners. They should communicate regularly, talk through challenges, and work together to make sure the Board is focused on what the organization needs.
But the Chair isn't the CEO's individual boss. The CEO reports to the full Board. A good Chair helps that relationship work rather than becoming another layer of management.
And none of this happens automatically because someone was elected to a leadership position.
It takes time. It takes effort. It takes work.
Why aren't we coaching our Board Chairs?
Here's something I've been thinking about more lately.
We spend a lot of time talking about Board development. We offer orientations, governance trainings, retreats, and plenty of resources about fiduciary responsibilities.
But how often do we actually help someone learn how to be an effective Board Chair?
We elect them, hand them the gavel, and wish them luck.
I think we can do better.
I've found that some of the most valuable governance work happens in individual coaching conversations with Board Chairs. Talking through a difficult Board member situation. Helping them think about how to approach a conversation with their CEO. Working on how to run meetings that invite real discussion rather than just moving through reports.
Sometimes it's simply helping a Chair understand what they should be spending their time on.
Because the answer probably isn't reviewing every staff decision or rewriting the Board agenda by themselves.
It's building an effective Board.
And just like we invest in developing executive leaders, we should be willing to invest in developing the volunteer leaders responsible for governing our organizations.
Good Board leadership doesn't happen by accident
Looking back at my own first experience as Board Chair, I wish I'd understood more about the people side of the job. Not just supporting the CEO or getting through the agenda, but engaging Board members, setting expectations, and helping people succeed in their roles.
I've learned a lot since then, including from some wonderful Board leaders I've had the opportunity to work alongside.
The biggest lesson? Being Board Chair is not just a title or a meeting assignment. It's a leadership job.
And we should treat it like one.
If your organization is preparing for a new Board Chair, working through leadership challenges, or simply wants to strengthen how its Board functions, I'd love to help. Through True Compass Strategies, I work with Boards and their leaders on governance, leadership development, retreats, and individual coaching. These are some of my favorite conversations because even small improvements in Board leadership can make a real difference for an organization.
Your Board Chair shouldn't have to figure everything out alone. And your organization shouldn't expect them to.