PM1: Working well – meeting

the challenges all chairs face

Ruth Lesirge, Founder and Trustee, Association

of Chairs

Ros Oakley, Founder and Trustee, Association

of Chairs

Purpose of today

• Consider the role – and differing demands

made on the Chair of a not for profit

• Investigate needs and wants

• Explore ways of supporting Chairs

Introductions

• Who we are

• Who is in the room?

Governing Effectively

• As a Chair or Vice Chair, what has been

most helpful to you in leading your board?

• As a trustee or CEO, what has helped

your Chair be effective?

• What aspect of chairing keeps you awake

at night?

Fill in card

• Helpful

• Keeps me awake

Research: Literature Review

• Brief developed in collaboration with

NCVO

• Conducted by Anjelica Finnegan

• Available on our website:

www.associationofchairs.org.uk

Our questions

• What influence do Chairs have on the

effectiveness of the organisations they

chair?

• Attempts made to identify the

characteristics of effective Chairs/chairing?

• How Chairs add most value/cause most

damage and how big the problem of poor

chairing is?

And . . .

• What assessment has been made of

interventions that improve the chair’s

effectiveness?

• What are the motivations of non profit

chairs?

• How are they selected?

• What problems do Chairs face?

Influence on the effectiveness of the

organisation

• Largely based on perceptions of key

actors

• Exceptional chairs provided stability and

helped morale during major crises

• Poor chairs contributed to ‘slow death’

Characteristics of effective

Chairs

• Motivation and style

• Capacity to lead

• Personal attributes

• Ability to relate

• Ability to advance the organisation

externally

How do Chairs add most value or

cause most damage?

• On Board

• On Organisation

• On CEO

More questions . . .

• What is the relationship between the

characteristics of the organisation and what is needed of the chair?

• Is there a life- cycle for Chairs?

• What makes an exceptional chair? • How do organisations respond to poorly

performing chairs?

• What is the best way to recruit a charity chair?

Where next . . .

• Forming a research panel

• Aim to fundraise for a programme of

research

• With NCVO planning quantitative as well

as qualitative research

• Interested in your views

Models that help us think about

board leadership

• Unwin

• Lencioni

• ACEVO

• Adair

Thinking about governance leadership –

ACEVO

Chair

CEO

Staff and volunteers

The board

Inattention to results

Avoidance of accountability

Lack of commitment

Fear of conflict

Absence of trust

5 dysfunctions of team Lencioni

Thinking about governance

leadership - Adair

Task

Individual

Team

Thinking about governance

leadership - Unwin “Attending to the business; attending to the mission” Governance leadership role is therefore to ensure.....

• Stewardship • Strategy • Support • Stretch • Scrutiny

Julia Unwin October 2010

Code of Good Governance

1. Understanding of role

2. Ensuring delivery of organisational purpose

3. Working effectively as individuals and a team

4. Exercising effective control

5. Behaving with integrity

6. Being open and accountable

Good Governance

– a code for the voluntary and community sector (2nd edition October 2010)

Top Tips for effective chairing…

1. Trustee-only time

2. Consent agendas

3. Rolling annual calendar

4. Trustee appraisal

5. Chair review

6. Budget for trustee development

7. Fixed terms for trustees

8. Trustee ‘buddy’ scheme

9. Coach/mentor for Chair

10. Confidential peer exchange

Thank you

Contact us:

www.associationofchairs.org.uk

ruth.lesirge@associationofchairs.org.uk

ros.oakley@associationofchairs.org.uk