STEP 6

You have initiated one of the greatest processes for your organization. You have lit a fire both in the heart of your board, your execution team, and your organization. Now, you must keep this fire burning. You must ensure this process continues to run consistently, because it is in that consistency that you see the results you seek.

But how do you do so?

1. Putting Accountability Systems in Place

To be successful, you must hold your board members and execution team accountable because people only follow through when they are held accountable. This isn't about punishment; it's about staying on track with the strategic plan you all worked so hard to create.

Here's how you can hold your board members and your execution team accountable:

- Following Up Consistently: You want to reach out to each board member at least twice a week. One at the beginning of the week and a last one at the end. At the beginning of the week, you're reaching out to find out what needs to be done for that week and what support they need to create results. This isn't just about a report; it's about building a strong partnership and giving them a consistent opportunity to ask for help before a challenge becomes a crisis. At the end of the week, you're reaching out to ask what was achieved, what limitations they experienced, lessons learned, and getting them ready for next week. This level of follow-up keeps board members on their toes, knowing you will be reaching out.

- Board Development Committee: Another way to follow up is by building a board development committee that does the follow-up. This is a permanent committee with the responsibility of ensuring the board's health and performance. This way, you get board members to hold other board members accountable, following up on their results and support needs. It also shows the board member that their fellow trustees and the organization care about their success. This committee is also responsible for recruitment and onboarding, making it a critical tool for long-term board sustainability.

- Board Report: Writing and submitting a report to the board before every board meeting, and having each board member report their progress to the board, holds them accountable at a group level. This is where they will report on their progress against the specific goals and timelines they set in their detailed plans. This ensures that board members will do their best to meet their commitments so they have something good to report during the board meeting rather than being a source of disappointment for the board.

- Goal Setting: Another way to hold board members accountable is to get them to set goals during each board meeting. These are goals they look to achieve before the next board meeting. This way, they have a compass to measure their results, and they will do everything in their power to show that they are capable of achieving their goals.

- Quarterly Board Evaluation: Evaluating board members every quarter is also a good way to keep them accountable. This isn't a punitive exercise; it's a tool for growth. Board members get a score for their performance, forcing them to level up. The results of this evaluation should be communicated as a way to identify areas for professional development and to ensure the board is collectively working toward its mission. This evaluation should be a mix of self-evaluation and peer-to-peer feedback to foster a culture of open communication and growth.

2. Leading by Example

As the founder, you are the leader, and you must lead by example. Your board evaluation score must be explicit, your goals must be achieved, and your reports must show the way. This is how you get your board members to follow you. If you expect them to raise money, you must be seen raising money. Your board will model your behavior, and to build an excellent board, you must show up as an excellent leader.

3. Recognizing Effort and Rewarding Results

You must recognize effort because it is through effort that results are created. Instead of waiting for results before celebrating a board member, recognize them when they do something good, like making an introduction, showing up for a funding meeting, presenting to a prospective funder, or advocating for the organization. This shows them that you appreciate them, and by recognizing their effort, you get them to put in more effort, which is where the result lies. Also, when a board member achieves a result, you also want to reward them. Send a handwritten note of appreciation, call out their results during board meetings and ask the board to appreciate them, or take them out for lunch. This is how you build a team of board members who are highly motivated.

4. Celebrating Success as a Board

Whenever you achieve monumental results or any of the goals you set as a board, make sure to celebrate as a board. Provide refreshments, take them out, or appreciate the board across social media. This is how you keep everyone motivated at a board level and foster a sense of a shared community.

5. Monthly Volunteer Evaluation and Feedback

By collecting feedback and evaluating volunteers personally, you hold them accountable and get direct information on how to get the best out of them. You must also share this with the board member in charge of them and ask that they follow up with them consistently as well. You should also find time to take volunteers out for a refreshment, provide them with personalized recommendations, recommend and refer them in your network, and celebrate and recognize their efforts. This is how you keep them motivated and connected to the vision.

Here you have it. You have set a fire, and this is how you keep the fire burning. This is how you keep your board and organization creating results. This is how you ensure the sustainability of the process you've created and of your organization.

 

You have arrived.

This isn't just a book about boards; it's a blueprint for a new kind of leadership. You have learned that your board is not a collection of advisors to be managed, but a team of co-trustees to be led. You have a framework, a process, and the tools to build a powerhouse board that is not only engaged, but passionate, and deeply invested in the mission.

You have the power to stop the cycle of passive boards and lonely founders. You have a new language, a new way of thinking that will transform your relationships and your results. This is your chain of servitude, and now you have the skills to make it unbreakable.

Go. Put this into practice. Start the fire. And watch what happens when you turn your greatest challenge into your most valuable asset. The future of your organization is in your hands, and now, it is in your board's hands as well.