"How to be an AMAZING Board Member" (watch on Ubiquity University)
Learn what separates good vs. bad startup/nonprofit board members and identify which of the 6 profiles of AMAZING board members fits you best.
Serving on a board is an amazing privilege but usually comes with no training and very few expectations. You have the responsibility of helping to steer a startup or nonprofit, recruit and guide its leader, and more.
Having personally attended over 1,000 startup board meetings as well as served on several nonprofit boards, I pulled together my best advice on how to be an amazing board member. This includes what startup and nonprofit boards should and SHOULDN’T DO, what separates a good vs. bad board member, and a list of 6 common profiles of AMAZING board members (see which one is authentic to you!). Watch “How to be an AMAZING board member” now!
In this 14-minute Ubiquity University video (watch now), Sunil takes us through the following:
What is a board exactly?
Whether it’s for a startup or a nonprofit, a board is group of individuals selected by its constituents to select the overall leader and guide the organization.
The typical flow is this: a startup or nonprofit founder has a goal, recruits stakeholders/donors/investors, together they select a Board of Directors (that may include the founder, certain investors, et al.). This board then recruits and selects the organization’s leader/CEO. As the CEO runs the organization, the board has periodic check-ins to evaluate the CEO, guide strategy, and consider other executive change along the way.
What should boards do and NOT do?
Many people are surprised to learn that boards and board members do not need to know how to run the organization themselves, have brilliant product ideas, or have lots of money.
Boards provide oversight, chart the organization’s progress over time, share best practices from other boards/organizations, and help identify capital.
What makes a GOOD board member vs. BAD board member?
Great board members arrive well-prepared, have well-timed comments, and are focused on getting to the best answer for the organization. They lock arms with the CEO and help to troubleshoot issues and unlock new opportunities.
Bad board members overreact to problems, are eager to improve their own standing, and have a “tornado” approach of showing up out of the blue, making a mess, and disappearing.
6 profiles of GREAT board members
Great boards are like a symphony where each member plays a different role that is authentic to them. Here are a few profiles of great board members I’ve seen be very helpful:
And if you enjoyed this video, you may also like our 3 other Ubiquity University videos on preparing for and running board meetings.
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